Help

BI’s Article search uses Boolean search capabilities. If you are not familiar with these principles, here are some quick tips.

To search specifically for more than one word, put the search term in quotation marks. For example, “workers compensation”. This will limit your search to that combination of words.

To search for a combination of terms, use quotations and the & symbol. For example, “hurricane” & “loss”.

Login Register Subscribe

Enrollment in high-deductible plans continues to rise

Reprints
Enrollment in high-deductible plans continues to rise

Enrollment in high-deductible health insurance plans, including consumer-driven health plans, continues to climb, the National Center for Health Statistics said in a report Tuesday.

In 2014, 36.9% of those under age 65 with private health insurance coverage were enrolled in a high-deductible plan, defined as plans with deductibles of at least $1,250 for single coverage and $2,500 for family coverage, according to the report. Private health insurance coverage includes both employment-based coverage and individual policies.

Of that 36.9%, 13.3% were enrolled in CDHPs, which are high-deductible plans linked to health savings accounts, while 23.6% were enrolled in high-deductible plans not linked to HSAs.

Both types of plans have been growing rapidly in recent years. For example, in 2009, just 6.6% of the under age 65 population with health insurance coverage were covered in a CDHP compared with 2014's 13.3% coverage rate.

In addition, last year's 23.6% coverage rate in high-deductible health insurance plans compares to just 15.9% in 2009.

The key reason for the growth of high-deductible plans is their lower cost. For example, a Mercer L.L.C. survey released late last year found that CDHPs cost roughly 20% less per employee than more traditional plans.

Read Next