Impact of emerging health insurance arrangements on diabetes outcomes and disparities: rationale and study design.

View Abstract

Consumer-directed health plans combine lower premiums with high annual deductibles, Internet-based quality-of-care information, and health savings mechanisms. These plans may encourage members to seek better value for health expenditures but may also decrease essential care. The expansion of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) represents a natural experiment of tremendous proportion. We designed a pre-post, longitudinal, quasi-experimental study to determine the effect of HDHPs on diabetes quality of care, outcomes, and disparities. We will use a 13-year rolling sample (2001-2013) of members of an HDHP and members of a control group. To reduce selection bias, we will limit participants to those whose employers mandate a single health insurance type. The study will measure rates of monthly hemoglobin A1c, lipid, and albuminuria testing; availability of blood glucose test strips; and rates of retinal examinations, high-severity emergency department visits, and preventable hospitalizations. Results could be used to design health plan features that promote high-quality care and better outcomes among people who have diabetes.

Abbreviation
Prev Chronic Dis
Publication Date
2013-01-31
Volume
10
Page Numbers
E11
Pubmed ID
23369764
Medium
Print
Full Title
Impact of emerging health insurance arrangements on diabetes outcomes and disparities: rationale and study design.
Authors
Wharam JF, Soumerai S, Trinacty C, Eggleston E, Zhang F, LeCates R, Canning C, Ross-Degnan D