Problem:
Consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) strive to control costs and improve quality of care by requiring consumers to take control of their own healthcare decisions. Consumers decide how they want to spend their healthcare dollars, depending on what is important to them. CDHPs are geared to encourage participants to enroll in some type of wellness program and improve their lifestyles. Specific types of CDHPs are health reimbursement accounts, flexible spending accounts, and health savings accounts.
However, there are concerns about CDHPs. The consumer may neither understand nor have the education and the tools to manage his or her own healthcare appropriately. This may have long-term ramifications on the whole healthcare system and whether CDHPs can be successful for both the consumer, the employer, the physician, and the healthcare facilities, as well as the insurers. Are CDHPs more geared toward the healthier and younger population? Are they effective for patients with chronic illnesses? Will they discourage the use preventative care and cause increase healthcare costs in the future? Examine these questions and more in your analysis.
Discuss the history of when, how, and why CDHPs were developed. Define health savings accounts, health reimbursement accounts, and flexible spending accounts.