Who Foots the Bill for Uninformed Health Plan Members? Discover the ful.View of savvier healthcare shopping.

Knowing that housing is the average American’s largest monthly expense¹, would you sign a mortgage or lease without reading it? Probably not. But when it comes to healthcare, which is most likely your second largest monthly expense, your answer might be surprisingly different.

For years, lack of transparency has been the status quo in healthcare economics for members. And plans have been just giving members a card with no guidance on how to navigate the complex and sometimes overwhelming system. But why? Traditionally, members’ premiums should offer sufficient coverage to remove the need for informed health shopping since their “full coverage” premiums cover a lot of the costs of care. Today, the reality, however, couldn’t be more different.

We’re seeing record amounts of waste—members and groups paying for costly coverage from which most working adults are not even using for care. Ultimately, 25% of every dollar spent on healthcare in the U.S. is wasted, amounting to more than $1 trillion²in 2023. While insurance companies are raking in profits from this skyrocketing waste, members are feeling the sting of rising out-of-pocket costs. Because of this cost sharing, even traditional health plans have out-of-pocket limits approaching $10,000³for individuals and $20,000 for families. It’s no wonder plan members and payers feel helpless, deductibles and max out of pocket spending are effectively putting every American worker into a high deductible plan (whether it’s HSA qualified or not).

In today’s complex healthcare landscape, financial challenges often loom large for Americans, especially when faced with unexpected medical bills. A mere $400 healthcare expense can lead to personal debt for the majority of working adults. This underscores the urgent need for transformative change in how we navigate and manage healthcare costs. However, amidst this uncertainty lies an opportunity for innovation—one fueled by the advancements in health data and technology that can help plan members save out of pocket costs.

Is the Answer Transparency?

In recent years, legislation has attempted to close the gap between high medical costs and low healthcare pricing transparency. Through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Transparency in Coverage (TiC), and the No Surprises Act (NSA), plans now have more access to pricing information through Machine Readable Files (MRFs) and online shopping tools. But is this a full solution?

Even though the last two years of transparency regulations have made progress, only 36% of members have researched healthcare pricing and 34% are unsure if that pricing information even exists⁵.

Recognizing Members as Active Agents of Change

To unlock the potential for healthcare savings, we must shift our perspective and recognize that members are not passive observers in the healthcare system—they are active agents of change. The current healthcare model often leaves members uninformed and disengaged, perpetuating a cycle of inefficiency and waste. It’s time for a platform that empowers members to become active participants in their healthcare journey and drive meaningful cost savings themselves and payers.

A Resource-ful.View of Health Savings

At ful.Health, our ful.View product does exactly this. Easily accessible through the ful.Health app, ful.View engages members to learn more about savvier healthcare shopping and their personal health too. In the app, members receive 24/7 guidance for over 200+ common healthcare conditions, learn how health care works, participate in gamified quizzes to up their savvy and have access to cash discount alternatives, instant access to physician-led virtual care, local cash discount pharmacy shopping options and more.

In ful.Health’s ful.View platform, members use health savings education to engage in making their personal best choices for care. By shopping smarter, employees have access to quality care, while saving claims costs for themselves and payers. A curated curriculum, FAQ and on-demand condition information provide an end-to-end education journey in the palms of users’ hands. ful.View engages members’ learning with quizzes that reward participation and put learning to real-world use with easily actionable shopping information. When members are incentivized to learn and save at every step, our healthcare system works better for everyone.

The bottom line? When members have more skin in the game and the knowledge to shop for care, they are more likely to get the care they need, when they need it. When members learn to conserve their healthcare spend, they right size utilization, reducing waste and lowering claims costs.

Discover ful.View at https://ful-health.com/ful-health-launches-the-ful-view-product-to-guide-employers-toward-health-savings/.

Sources

Who Foots the Bill for Uninformed Health Plan Members? Discover the ful.View of savvier healthcare shopping.

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