Early Experience with Employee Choice of Consumer-Directed Health Plans and Satisfaction with Enrollment.’’ Health Services Research 39(4, part 2

Objective. To assess the initial impact of offering consumer-defined health plan (CDHP) options on employees. Data Sources/Study Setting. A mail survey of 4,680 employees in the corporate offices of Humana Inc. in June 2001. Study Design. The study was a cross-sectional mail survey of employees aged 18 and older who were eligible for health care benefits. The survey was conducted following open enrollment. The primary outcome is the choice of consumer-directed health plan or not; the secondary outcome is satisfaction with the enrollment process. Important covariates include sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, race, educational level, exempt or nonexempt status, type of coverage), health status, health care uti-lization, and plan design preferences. Data Collection Methods. A six-page questionnaire was mailed to the home of each employee, followed by a reminder postcard and two subsequent mailings to nonrespondents. Principal Findings. The response rate was 66.2 percent. Seven percent selected one o