Tracking the rise of high-deductible health plans

Abstract

High-Deductible healthcare plans (HDHP) have grown in popularity over the last two decades, and there is growing concern about the impact of these plans on inequality in healthcare. However, we don’t know which groups have been most exposed to HDHP plans. Therefore, we analyzed the diffusion of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) across U.S. occupations using Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2014 to 2023. We constructed a panel dataset and calculated 1-, 2-, and 3-year lag-based diffusion indices to measure HDHP adoption over time. Results show uneven but increasing uptake across sectors, with a notable decline in variance across occupations, suggesting convergence in adoption patterns.