In more evidence that high-deductible health care plans are bad for women and poor for routine medical expenses, a new study shows those enrolled in traditional health care plans pay about $1,455 for a normal pregnancy, those in the government's high-deductible plan pay $3,000, and those in the average high-deductible plan offered by small businesses pay a whopping $7,000. And the gap tends to get wider as the pregnancy grows more complex, at least until you slam into the plan's out-of-pocket limit. Moreover, much routine prenatal care that individuals think is covered as preventive is, in fact, not covered at all. "If you are contemplating having a baby or having any kind of big health event, this is not the policy for you," said study co-author Karen Pollitz.
Got that? If you're actually expecting to use any health care, don't get a high-deductible plan. But tell me, what's the theory here? Do we want to discourage pre-natal care? Pregnancies? Is there a reason we believe paying more for the associated treatments will have a positive effect on health outcomes or bank accounts? Or are we just down for the cause of shifting risk and cost from business and society down, down, down to the individual?
Update: Link fixed.
