- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Dr Niteesh Choudhry Highlights How HDHPs Can Benefit From VBID
There are desirable and undesirable effects of high-deductible health plans, and the use of value-based insurance design may mitigate adverse effects of these plans, explained Niteesh Choudhry, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
There are desirable and undesirable effects of high-deductible health plans, and the use of value-based insurance design may mitigate adverse effects of these plans, explained Niteesh Choudhry, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Transcript (slightly modified)
What do we know so far about how high-deductible health plans affect adherence?
So there’s an evolving literature now about high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and medications. And so the literature is a little bit mixed, but what we know so far is that HDHPs tend to make people shift away from expensive medications to lower-cost medications like generics, which in many cases may be perfectly appropriate. And so that is a very desirable result of a HDHP.
Emerging data from our group is suggesting that the introduction of a HDHP or somebody transitioning to a HDHP also leads to the reduction in the use of essential medications—medications for heart disease, and diabetes, and high cholesterol—and those would be considered adverse effects or things that we would not want HDHPs to do. The magnitude of the effects is actually relatively large, 4-6 percentage points, and those normally translate, especially for evidence-based medications, to clinically meaningful impacts.
So that’s an example of the role of where value-based insurance design for these medications may fit with a HDHP as a method to mitigate the adverse effects of the plans themselves.
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Dr Michael Farwell on FDG PET/CT Imaging to Predict Immunotherapy Response in Advanced Melanoma
April 15th 2024Michael Farwell, MD, associate professor of radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, provides insights into a study on the benefits of using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging to detect metabolic tumor changes in skin cancer.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Increasing Lp(a) Awareness for Better Cardiovascular Health: Dr Mary McGowan
March 24th 2024For Lp(a) Awareness Day, Mary McGowan, MD, FNLA, chief medical officer of the Family Heart Foundation, highlights how most people with elevated Lp(a) are completely unaware that they have this increased risk and calls for increased testing.
Read More
Dr Al Benson on Reimbursement for Supportive Care When Treating Patients With Cancer
March 22nd 2024Al Benson, MD, FACP, FACCC, FASCO, medical oncologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and associate director of the Robert E. Tillery Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed findings from a national survey assessing barriers to comprehensive cancer care delivery.
Read More
