HSA enrollees use health care services differently than those with PPOs, research shows
Employees who invest in health savings accounts use health care services differently than those with a preferred provider plan, according to new research.
The Employee Benefit Research Institute looked at the usage and cost of health services accessed by the two cohorts and found that HSA enrollees typically make less use of emergency departments, specialists, outpatient services, and prescription drugs (for those with no health conditions) but higher use of inpatient services and primary care (for those with two or more conditions) relative to PPO enrollees.
“The purpose of our research was to closely examine the impact of plan type on the use of health care services and spending. The analysis focused on enrollees in HSA plans and preferred provider organization (PPO) enrollees who are in health plans with deductibles large enough to be HSA eligible as a way of isolating the impact of the HSA on use of health care services,” Paul Fronstin, director of health benefits research at EBRI, said in a statement.
Looking at the costs of health care for each plan type, HSA plans spent $61.30 per member per year more on inpatient care relative to PPOs, and an additional $4.20 on primary care visits. However, emergency department visit costs were $19.10 lower per member per year for HSAs and spending on specialist visits was $4.60 lower. There was no statistically significant difference in the two groups in spending on prescription drugs.
For those with no health conditions, spending on HSA enrollees was $60.30 lower per member per year than for PPOs overall, but $2,490 higher for those with two or more health conditions.
The research, with funding support from Aon, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Independent Colleges and
Read more on investmentnews.com
