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June 26, 2002 at 08:00 PM
NU Online News Service, June 26, 2:44 p.m. – The Employee Benefit Research Institute, Washington, has put out an analysis questioning whether the new, widely publicized “defined-contribution” health plans will do much to control health care costs.
The typical defined-contribution health plan combines high-deductible, catastrophic health insurance with employer-funded personal health care accounts. Employers usually contribute a set amount per employee.
Many plan administrators try to give members detailed information about the fees that in-network doctors and hospitals charge, to encourage members to consider cost when shopping for medical care.
Organizers of the plans say they can help control costs by tearing away the artificial barriers that now keep consumers from learning how much their care really costs.
