A recent study finds low-income and medically vulnerable high-deductible plan enrollees are just as likely to cut back on needed health care as other HDP enrollees.

The RAND Corporation study contradicts some of the earlier small studies that found medically vulnerable individuals cut back more than other people enrolled in the health plans. [See related: HDHPs: Preventive health takes a back seat]

"One important issue is whether high-deductible health plans will leave low-income and chronically ill patients with inadequate access to health care," said Amelia Haviland, lead author of the study and a statistician at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "We did not find greater cut backs for medically vulnerable families. The evidence suggests that non-vulnerable families, low-income families and high-risk families are equally affected under high-deductible plans."