Abstract
Background
High-deductible health plan (HDHP) enrollment has increased rapidly over the last decade. Patients with HDHPs are incentivized to delay or avoid necessary medical care. We aimed to quantify the out-of-pocket costs of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients at risk for high healthcare resource utilization and to evaluate for differences in medical service utilization according to time in insurance period between HDHP and traditional health plan (THP) enrollees. Variations in healthcare utilization according to time may suggest that these patients are delaying or foregoing necessary medical care due to healthcare costs.
Methods
IBD patients at risk for high resource utilization (defined as recent corticosteroid and narcotic use) continuously enrolled in an HDHP or THP from 2009–2016 were identified using the Truven Health MarketScan database. Median annual financial information was calculated. Time trends in office visits, colonoscopies, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations were evaluated using additive decomposition time series analysis. Financial information and time trends were compared between the two insurance plan groups.
Results
Of 605,862 with a diagnosis of IBD, we identified 13,052 patients at risk for high resource utilization with continuous insurance plan enrollment. The median annual out-of-pocket costs were higher in the HDHP group (n=524) than in the THP group (n=12,458) ($1,920 vs. $1,205, p<0.001), as was the median deductible amount ($1,015 vs $289, p<0.001), without any difference in the median annual total healthcare expenses (Figure 1). Time in insurance period had a greater influence on utilization of colonoscopies, ED visits, and hospitalization in IBD patients enrolled in HDHPs compared to THPs (Figure 2). Colonoscopies peaked in the 4th quarter, ED visits peaked in the 1st quarter, and hospitalizations peaked in the 3rd and 4th quarter.
Conclusion
Among IBD patients at high risk for IBD-related utilization, HDHP enrollment does not change the cost of care, but shifts healthcare costs onto patients. This may be a result of HDHPs incentivizing delays with a potential for both worse disease outcomes and financial toxicity and needs to be further examined using prospective studies.
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