Automatic enrollment significantly boosts employer-based health plan sign-ups

This study shows that an opt-out strategy can take away those roadblocks and make it easier for participants to take advantage of these programs that can greatly benefit them.” Specifically, the researchers found that of the 1,549 people in the voluntary sign-up group, only 35 percent opted into the program. By contrast, 91 percent of the 3,405 people in the opt-out group were enrolled, simply by choosing not to take action to drop out. Among the other findings the researchers noted that those in the voluntary enrollment group who had incomes of more than $75,000 a year or a bachelor’s degree were likelier to enroll than those with lower incomes. Also, among those automatically enrolled, the subgroups that had the highest percentage of people covered were Hispanics, covered dependents, and persons who had one non-diabetes comorbidity such as hypertension or congestive heart failure. The researchers note that this study may be limited by the fact that it looks only at large employer groups (companies with at least 1,000 employees), so the findings may not be applicable to smaller companies. Also, with opt-out groups being so close to 100 percent enrollment, it may be difficult to detect significant differences in enrollment rates in the automatic enrollment strategy. The findings, however, could prove useful in determining ways to increase participation in plans and reduce disparities in health insurance coverage. “An automatic enrollment approach may prove critical in ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news