Study: CDHPs improve health habits, lower costs

When CDHPs offer health promotion and wellness incentives, they can succeed in making a positive impact on members' health behaviors, according to a newly-released study by insurance brokerage and consulting firm Aon. The study analyzed plans provided by South Africa's Discovery Health and subsidiaries, including U.S.-based Destiny Health, covering more than two million lives.

Among other conclusions, the study found that monetary, vacation and merchandise rewards for desirable behavior like seeking preventative care proved to be quite motivating. The plans found that in cases of chronic illness, offering first-dollar coverage for medications kept down costs, as well as providing incentives for completing disease management programs. The group also found that members managed to consume less care while attaining lower claims and hospital admissions. Given this group's insurance industry affiliation, color me skeptical, as the industry has much to gain in rolling out another rapidly-growing product line. Give me a study conducted by a completely independent party suggesting that CDHPs don't encourage the poor to stay sick, and then I'll be pretty impressed.

Learn more about this research:
- read the Aon press release [1]
- review the Aon research brief [2]

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