NOP Uncovers Attitudes to Consumer Health Plans

GfK NOP Financial has launched a Consumer-Directed Health Plan(CDHP) Study, to examine the attitudes of US insurance brokers, employers and consumers to CDHPs, including Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

The research, sponsored by health insurance carriers, consists of two phases. The first phase involved nine focus groups with employee benefits managers and influential consumers, as well as 15 in-depth interviews with brokers. The research took place in Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas. The results from this phase, available now, reveal low awareness and adoption of CDHPs, with a need for better communication to explain what plans mean for both companies and employees.

The second wave will be a quantitative assessment of CDHP current adoption, plus indicators of future adoption. It will be based on surveys of 500 benefits managers and 400 health plan members.

The study as a whole will provide insights into awareness, adoption and knowledge levels, perceived advantages and disadvantages, the images of insurers, barriers to acceptance, and communication challenges.

Both phases are available on a multi-client basis, with costs shared among several sponsors. Results from the first phase are available for immediate purchase, and sponsorships are available for the second phase.

The company is online at www.nopworld.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.