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EBRI

Center for Research on Health Benefits Innovation

Launched in 2010, EBRI's Center for Research on Health Benefits Innovation (CRHBI) focuses on helping employers assess the impact that various innovations, such as through plan design and other initiatives, have on cost, quality, and access to health care.  It is a think tank focused on three broad areas of research: behavioral economics, incentives, and consumer-driven health benefits. This understanding, in turn, provides a framework for solutions and action items to address the cost and value of providing health benefits and informs policy discussions that can also best help improve outcomes.

The Center focuses on three broad areas of research.

  • Behavioral economics – It combines the insights from psychology with economic theory to design health benefits and to improve delivery of health care services.
  • Incentives – Employers often build financial incentives into their health benefits. One example is three-tiered co-payments for prescription drugs. Another is value-based benefit design.
  • Consumer-driven health benefits – Consumer driven health benefits (CDHPs) combine a high deductible with a tax-preferred account. The expectation is that by giving individuals more control over funds allocated for health care services, they will spend the money more responsibly, especially once they become more educated about the actual price of health services.

The Center is funded by the following Research Partners:

These organizations also form the Center's advisory board. The advisory board sets the research agenda, determines research priorities within the constraints of available funding, and assists in data acquisition.

For more information about the research center, participation on the advisory board, and/or funding, contact Paul Fronstin, Chair of the Center.

Health Plan Switching: A Case Study--Implications for Private- and Public-Health-Insurance Exchanges and Increased Health Plan Choice

When workers are offered more than one health plan, who switches their plans, and does it lead to adverse selection, causing healthy workers to leave certain health plans saddled with only high-cost sick workers? Evidence suggests it’s mostly younger workers or higher-income workers without family coverage who switch?which does indeed raise the risk of adverse selection, according to a new analysis by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 23, 2017 24 pages

“Impact of Workplace Wellness-Program Participation on Medication Adherence,” and “Differences in Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses of Older Single and Couple Households”

Wellness Programs: Workplace wellness programs appear to have a bigger impact on medication adherence for some diseases than others, according to new research from EBRI. Press release.

Single/Couple Households: Older singles and older couples tend to face sharply different out-of-pocket expenses for non-recurring health care services such as home health care, nursing home stays, overnight hospital stays, and outpatient surgery—possibly because they do not have a spouse to help as caregivers, according to new research by EBRI. Press release.

EBRI Notes Jan 21, 2016 16 pages

Quality of Health Care After Adopting a Full-Replacement, High-Deductible Health Plan With a Health Savings Account: A Five-Year Study

With an ever-growing number of workers covered by health savings account (HSA)-eligible health plans, how does use of health care services used to measure quality compare with traditional managed care? New research from EBRI finds a mixed bag: Depending on the health care service, HSA-plans could result in higher or lower use, and in some cases no change whatsoever. EBRI Issue Brief Sep 16, 2014 20 pages

Reference Pricing for Health Care Services: A New Twist on the Defined Contribution Concept in Employment-Based Health Benefits

A new approach called “reference pricing” in health insurance may help control health costs, but the savings could depend on how health care providers and individuals react, according to a new analysis by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Apr 15, 2014 16 pages

“Brand-Name and Generic Prescription Drug Use After Adoption of a Full-Replacement, Consumer-Directed Health Plan With a Health Savings Account,” and “How Would Defined Contribution Participants React to Lifetime Income Illustrations? Evidence from t ..

Prescription Drug Use: Do consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) result in lower prescription drug use? New research from EBRI of one big employer finds that moving to an HSA-eligible plan reduced the number of both generic and brand-name prescriptions filled.

Lifetime Income Illustrations: Do consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) result in lower prescription drug use? New research from EBRI of one big employer finds that moving to an HSA-eligible plan reduced the number of both generic and brand-name prescriptions filled.

EBRI Notes Mar 24, 2014 16 pages