High-deductible health plans, with their high up-front costs and low premiums, are becoming more popular, according to a new report from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
The report tracked health plans with a deductible of at least $1,200 for individuals or $2,400 for families. It found that enrollment increased 18 percent from 2011 and now cover about 13.5 million people, reported The Hill's Healthwatch. Although high-deductible plans used to attract mostly people buying their own coverage, now the biggest customer base comes from large employers.
AHIP found that large group coverage grew the fastest since last year, representing about 59 percent of all plans. Forty-nine percent of all high-deductible plan enrollees in the individual market were at least 40 years old; 26 percent were younger than 20 years old, and 25 percent were between the ages of 20 and 39.
The states with the highest high-deductible plan enrollment are California (1,001,943), Texas (755,432), Illinois (717,384), Ohio (662,999) and Florida (539,778).
To learn more:
- read the AHIP report
- see The Hill's Healthwatch article