V-BID may reduce consumer cost-sharing burden

According to the American College of Physicians (ACP), consumer cost-sharing, particularly deductibles, may cause patients to forgo or delay health care, including medically necessary services.

ACP’s position paper, “Addressing the Increasing Burden of Health Insurance Cost-Sharing,” recommends the implementation of value-based insurance design (V-BID) as a potential solution to make patient cost-sharing more equitable.

The ACP’s endorsement of V-BID builds on multi-stakeholder and bipartisan support, including the incorporation of V-BID principles in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring the elimination of consumer cost-sharing for specified preventive care services. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Medical Advantage-VBID demonstration project is also set to begin in seven states in January 2017, and the recent introduction of H.R. 5652, “Access to Better Care Act of 2016,” allows high deductible health plans the flexibility to provide coverage for services that manage chronic disease prior to meeting the plan deductible.

Each of these programs align with the ACP’s call for initiatives to reduce the burden of health insurance cost-sharing.

To learn more about V-BID policy initiatives, please view this interactive policy timeline.

Website: http://vbidcenter.org/addressing-the-increasing-burden-of-health-insurance-cost-sharing/