Patients with consumer-directed health plans which have low premiums and high deductibles paid roughly the same amount for care as individuals with traditional health plans, according to a study co-authored by researchers from the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The study – co-sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation, examined whether patients with higher deductibles were more likely to seek cost-efficient medical care. Researchers found that patients with CDHPs paid roughly the same amount as their traditionally insured counterparts for 8 out of 9 services analyzed. The only exception was office visits where the researchers found that patients with CDHPs paid about 2 percent less for office visits according to a recent report posted at University of Southern California’s website.
