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Session
Description:
The past twenty years
of health care in the United States have been fraught with
mixed messages. Providers are generally not incentivized to
offer the highest quality of care while consumers have been
led to blindly accept the services (and costs of these services)
determined jointly by providers and third party payers.
As employers struggle to contain the resurgence of double-digit
inflation in their health plan premiums, the concept of “defined
contribution” plans has gained the attention of many employee
benefits managers and health plan executives.
Recent IRS rulings clarify the non-taxable status of
“health spending accounts” and ability to rollover and accumulate
funds held in these types of accounts.
These rulings could pave the way for employer-paid
health benefits to go through a similar change that employer-paid
pension plans went through when 401(k) plans were born.
There
is evidence that consumer usage of health care decision-support
tools and information lowers (or at least holds down) the
costs for payers and improves quality of care for patients.
Brian Mefford and Drew Richardson will explore and quantify
consumer perceptions of these potential changes in the way
health care is financed and managed in the U.S. based on survey
data collected in August 2002. They'll provide a perspective
on the industry trends and developments that have led up to
the recent buzz surrounding consumer-directed health care
and “defined contribution” health plans.
Survey
data collected in August 2002 will shed some light on aggregate
consumer demand, interest and reactions to looming changes
in their health plans and the ways in which consumers manage
their health care. This
presentation will present data on topics and questions such
as:
- How
many consumers wish they had more control over their “health
care” dollars?
- How
many consumers feel comfortable assuming more responsibility
for their own care, with limited guidance from doctors or
health plans?
- Where
do “consumer-centric” features of health plans, such as
control over health care dollars and availability of health
care management tools rate, relative to the “basics” such
as doctor choice, level of office co-pays and level of payroll
deductions?
- How
many consumers would enroll in a “defined contribution”
plan, if they were given a choice?
- Is
there evidence to the opinion held my many that only the
“young and healthy” workers will migrate to these types
of health plans, leaving the “old and sick” and thus the
risks and costs concentrated in existing PPO and HMO plans?
- How
will employees react when they are presented with dramatic
increases in payroll deductions, co-pays or deductible levels?
- How
many consumers would use cost and quality comparisons for
health care providers?
- How
many consumers would use health care decision support tools
to help them choose the best course of action for their
unique health care needs?
About
Brain Mefford
Brian
Mefford has over ten years of experience as a health industry
analyst. Prior to founding Pareto Health Group, Brian served
as Director of Research and Development at Data Advantage,
a health outcomes research company. In 1998 he co-founded
The Coronado Group for the purpose of organizing educational
and leadership seminars for healthcare executives. Most recently,
Brian worked as a Senior Health Industry Analyst for Cyber
Dialogue, a Manhattan-based health industry research firm.
He received a BS from Centre College and a M.B.A. in International
Management from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School
of International Management.
About
Andrew Richardson
Andrew Richardson has over ten years of experience
in all aspects of market research, including survey design,
data management, tabulation, graphical presentation, statistical
analysis and written analysis. Prior to joining Pareto Health,
he served as Director of Research Operations for Cyber Dialogue,
where he managed the development, data collection, and research
reporting of five annual syndicated survey programs, including
Cybercitizen Health and Cybercitizen Finance.
He has also held analytical positions with Find/SVP,
Claritas and several government agencies. Drew has a BA from
Geneseo State College (NY) and an MA from the University of
Connecticut.
Attendance
Fee:
$275.00 plus $50.00 per telephone line used.
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About
Pareto Health Group
Pareto Health Group is a leading healthcare software
and research services company that supports the empowerment
of patients through expanded access to information.The
company views information exchange as the key success
factor in both improving the quality and controlling
the costs of care received. The company’s online software
application, Patient Informer, is deployed as a group
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for companies or groups desiring to offer decision-support
and advocacy services. Pareto’s research services
include collection and analysis of consumer-based and
supply-side market intelligence that helps clients understand
and apply appropriate aspects of consumer-directed health
care to their members, customers or employees.
Contact Pareto Health by phone at (410) 349-9172
or on the web at www.paretohealth.com
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