Employees Would Rather Choose Health Care Provider Than Plan

In its press release on the study, CWF said that those with no choice of providers reported a dissatisfaction rate more than twice as high (26%) as those with no choice of plans (12%).

CWF also pointed out that proposals to expand the individual health insurance market and promote health savings accounts (HSAs) are intended to provide more choice. But, the study found that the majority (72%) of Americans trust their employers to do a good job of selecting quality plans.

In fact, 67% of study respondents preferred an employer-selected set of plans compared to 24% who preferred an employer-funded account they could use to find health care coverage for themselves.

Other findings of the survey of 3,293 adults age 19 – 64 mentioned in the news release, include:

• 81% of those with employer health care coverage report a fair amount or great deal of choice in where they go for care, compared to 70% of those who have individual insurance.
• 81% of working-age adults with incomes of $60,000 or more have a fair amount or a great deal of choice, compared to 63% with incomes below $20,000.
• 69% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats prefer employer-chosen plans over employer-funded accounts.

The Commonwealth Fund’s Issue Brief “‘Choice’ in Healthcare: What Do People Really Want?” is here .