title: Benefit design innovations: implications for consumer-directed health care.
abstract: Current health insurance benefit designs that simply rely on higher, one-size-fits-all patient cost sharing have limited potential to curb rapidly rising costs, but innovations in benefit design can potentially make cost sharing a more effective tool, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Innovative benefit designs include incentives to encourage healthy behaviors; incentives that vary by service type, patient condition or enrollee income; and incentives to use efficient providers. But most applications of these innovative designs are not widespread, suggesting that any significant cost impact is many years off. Moreover, regulations governing high-deductible, consumer-directed health plans eligible for health savings accounts (HSAs) preclude some promising benefit design innovations and dilute the incentives in others. A movement away from a one-size-fits-all HSA benefit structure toward a more flexible design might broaden the appeal of HSA plans and enable them to incorporate features that promote cost-effective care.
authors.forename: Ha T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Ginsburg
mesh_terms: D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000191:economics*; D004526:Efficiency; D015438:Health Behavior; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007342:Insurance Benefits / Q000191:economics*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics*; D020402:Medical Savings Accounts / Q000191:economics; D009042:Motivation; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States