High deductible health plans and spending among families with a substance use disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The United States faces an ongoing drug crisis, worsened by the undertreatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). Family enrollment in high deductible health plans (HDHPs) and the resulting increased cost exposure could exacerbate the undertreatment of SUD. This study characterized the distribution of health care spending within families where a member has a SUD and estimated the association between HDHPs and family health care spending.

Methods

Using commercial claims and enrollment data from OptumLabs (2007-2017), we identified a treatment group of enrollees whose employers began offering an HDHP and comparison group whose employers never offered an HDHP. We used a difference-in-differences analysis that compared health care spending in families at firms that di

SUBMITTER: Meiselbach MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9976712 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature