Survey: Consumerdriven health plans on the rise

CHICAGO —Despite some fear from employers about high out-of-pocket costs, consumer-driven health plans are building momentum, as more individuals and employers take advantage of money-saving options in light of rising healthcare costs, according to a survey conducted by Aon Consulting Worldwide and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists.

Generally CDHPs involve a three-tier structure of payment for health care—a tax-exempt health account that an individual uses to pay for health expenses up to a certain amount, a high-deductible health insurance policy that pays for expenses over the deductible and a gap between those two in which the individual pays any healthcare expenses out of his or her own pocket. Over-the-counter medicines are eligible expenses under most CDHPs.

The nationwide study of 470 employers found that 37 percent offer CDHPs, up from 28 percent of employers in 2006 and 22 percent in 2005, the first year this study was conducted.

“This finding shows that the CDHP movement continues to grow,” stated Bill Sharon, senior vice president with Aon Consulting, and coauthor of the survey. As much as 60 percent of employers have more than 10 percent of their employees participating in a CDHP, up from 53 percent in 2006.