GOP lawmakers are defending their burden-shift argument with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's leadership on a reform strategy for Medicare. Why not give retirees vouchers to spend on private insurance in a public exchange, if it's going to save the system from bankruptcy?
It's not a new concept. Employers eye consumer-driven health options as a cost solution to mitigate obscenely rising premiums. But, as Mark Miller of Reuters notes, it's a change that not many employers are ready for.
And while the substantive cost savings is apparent, Miller also points out, the expenditure reduction reflects mainly the cost shift from plan sponsors to enrollees. But "Is there any evidence of lower utilization and prices?"
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Let's face it, high-deductible plans haven't exactly aligned with responsible consumerism if you look at two recent studies. First, UCLA researchers point to problems with mass-utilization and financial strain. Delayed treatments were common for California's 3 million commercially insured who are enrolled in a high-deductible plan, according to researchers.
Then there's the hesitation with preventive health care for high-deductible enrollees. Even though health reform endorses certain free preventive services, people in high-deductible plans actually cut back on this beneficial care, according to a recent study from RAND.
Statistics aside, a consumer outlet for health care efficiency seems to be a great alternative. But what happens when that alternative hits yet another systemic wall?
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