to health insurance comparison website healthpocket.com, and typically
only cover 60% of the costs for care.
The idea driving these plans, though, actually falls in line with old-
fashioned notions about insurance, says Dr. Wilensky. "The rise of
high deductible plans is keeping in line with what we traditionally
thought of as insurance," she says. "It's a way to cover non-routine
expenditures. That's why we use insurance for fires and floods and
other events with a high economic burden that have a low probability
of happening."
These "consumer driven" plans also help reduce wasteful healthcare
spending and increase transparency as patients shop around for quali-
ty, reasonably priced care, says Dr. Wilensky.
Feeling the squeeze
However, because of these plans, you may be seeing holes in your sur-
gical schedule. More than 4 out of 5 (85%) of the 148 outpatient sur-
gery administrators we recently surveyed say high-deductible plans
are hurting their case volume. A 2014 Moody's analysis shows a slow-
down in hospital revenue and volume, which the investment company
attributes in part to higher out-of-pocket costs. While you can also
attribute the decline to a shift to outpatient facilities, researchers have
found for the first time ever that outpatient visits are declining, too.
For many patients, the price of health care is too high. A recent sur-
vey by the Commonwealth Fund found that 40% of respondents
admitted to skipping the doctor because they were worried about
costs. While high-deductible plans can help cut wasteful spending,
says Dr. Wilensky, there is concern that patients skipping necessary
care could actually result in "more expensive and complicated health
issues later on."
Kym Wise, CASC, administrator at The Skin Center in Pittsburgh,
Pa., says patients are avoiding treatments because of cost. "Although
varicose vein treatments are medically necessary and covered by
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