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In general, consumer driven health care (CDHC) refers to health insurance plans
that allow members to use personal Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or similar medical
payment products to pay routine health care expenses directly, while a high-deductible
health insurance policy protects them from catastrophic medical expenses. High-deductible
policies cost less, but the user pays routine medical claims using a pre-funded
spending account, often with a special debit card provided by a bank or insurance
plan. If the balance on this account runs out, the user then pays claims just like
a regular deductible. Users keep any unused balance or "rollover" at the
end of the year to increase future balances, or to invest for future expenses.
This system of health care is referred to as "consumer driven health care"
because routine claims are paid using a consumer-controlled account versus a fixed
health insurance benefit. That gives patients greater control over their own health
budgets.
According to economist John C. Goodman, "In the consumer-driven model, consumers
occupy the primary decision-making role regarding the health care they receive."
Goodman points to a McKinsey study which found that CDHC patients were twice as
likely as patients in traditional plans to ask about cost and three times as likely
to choose a less expensive treatment option, and chronic patients were 20 percent
more likely to follow treatment regimes carefully.
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