The Complete "State of the Industry Report" is being developed and will be available by Summer 2016. Below is a sampling of the report FORWARD.
Foreword
The Institute for Healthcare Consumerism (IHC) has developed the “State of Healthcare Consumerism” for a wide spectrum of audiences.
1. For those new to healthcare, we have included a brief history of healthcare and its evolution towards Healthcare Consumerism (See Appendix A).
2. For those familiar with the healthcare industry, but new to the concept of Healthcare Consumerism, Appendix A provides key dates and brief historical details that should a helpful guide. The evolution of creative health and healthcare products and services has led to multiple generations of Healthcare Consumerism.
3. For those already familiar with Healthcare Consumerism, the report is a consolidation of over 150 surveys and reports on various products and services sold to employer-based health plans.
We have included multi-year survey results, where available, to show the growth and trends over 5-10 years. Some ideas to engage individuals have taken root and others have withered from ineffectiveness. The goal of Healthcare Consumerism is to encourage new health and healthcare behaviors that improve the quality of care, increase access to care and services, and lower costs.
It is not the intent of IHC to promote or advocate for any particular plan design or service. Instead, this report presents facts and client survey information from various sources without regard to the current success of any particular plan design or service.
The IHC adheres to a broad definition of Healthcare Consumerism. Account based plans, sometimes referred to as Consumer Direct Healthcare Plans (CDHPs), are an important part of Healthcare Consumerism. IHC considers CDHP’s to be a subset of Healthcare Consumerism. There are many other ways that plans can include consumerism. A plan qualifies as “Healthcare Consumerism” if it meets the essentials of the following definition:
Healthcare Consumerism is about transforming a health benefit plan into one that puts economic purchasing power—and decision-making—in the hands of participants. It’s about supplying the information and decision support tools individuals need, along with financial incentives, rewards, and other benefits that encourage personal involvement in altering health and healthcare purchasing behaviors.