Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a consumer-directed health plan with a health savings account (CDHP-HSA) on utilization of and adherence to medications among individuals with chronic disease.Study Design: Pre-post comparison study with matched control group (difference-in-differences...

Consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) are designed to make employees more cost- and health-conscious by exposing them more directly to the costs of their care, which should lower demand for care and, in turn, control premium growth. These features have made consumer-directed plans increasingly...

This paper examines whether offering a health savings account (HSA)-eligible health plan for free, alongside other health plan options with a premium, alters employee enrollment choices; and if responders differ by health status. The data for this study come from two large employers and cover...

This paper represents the third in a series that analyzes data from a large employer, which enhanced financial incentives to encourage participation in its workplace wellness programs. As in the two prior papers, study data came from a large manufacturer based in the Midwest, but with employees...

This paper analyzes data from a large employer that enhanced financial incentives to encourage participation in its workplace wellness programs. It examines, first, the effect of financial incentives on wellness program participation, and second, it estimates the impact of wellness program...

The body of research on how consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) affect the use and costs of health care services -- while still relatively small -- is growing. In recent work, the Employee Benefit Research Institute has examined these relationships using panel data from a large employer that...

As of 2012, 7 percent of employers did not cover spouses when other coverage was available to them; and 4 percent of employers with 1,000 or more employees reported not providing such spousal coverage. As of late 2012-early 2013, another 8 percent of large employers were reporting that they...

Specialty medications have piqued the attention of employers because spending on specialty medications has been increasing. In 2012, specialty medications accounted for 24 percent of total drug spending in the commercial market, but by 2016 specialty medications accounted for 36 percent. By...