One of the oft-cited rationales for Health Savings Accounts and Consumer Directed Health Plans (HSAs and CDHPs) is their potential to reduce the number of individuals without health insurance (or, as my neighbor says, the “individually self-insured). While HSAs may have some benefits in terms of increasing consumer awareness of costs, for two rather obvious reasons, HSAs will not help reduce the number of uninsured in the US.

Continue reading Why HSAs won’t help the uninsured

I was unable to attend the rest of the National Consumer Driven Healthcare Summit; had to jet off to Phoenix to talk about drugs. But not to worry, the good people putting on the Summit posted the presentations so I was able to download and read them at 35,000 feet somewhere over Texas.
And boy was I rewarded.

Continue reading Superficiality v substance in the CDHP debate

I went to the National Consumer Directed Healthcare Summit in DC yesterday skeptical but with an open mind. And after Paul Ginsburg’s opening talk, I was thinking there may well be a pony in here somewhere. Unfortunately, I left after three more presentations still searching for the pony.

Continue reading National Consumer Directed Healthcare Summit – report from the scene