I came across an article in Wednesday's (10/29) edition of Workforce Management Magazine which was extracted from a presentation made by Maureen E. Sullivan, SVP Blue Cross Blue Shield Association at the National Consumer Driven Health Summit on October 20.  The name of the presentation was called Health Plan Initiatives, Trends and Research in Consumer Driven Care.   If you want the full download please click on either of the links above for loads of relevant statistics related to Consumer Driven Health Plans.

If you are in a hurry and trust me, the answer to the question in the headline is, YES!  Well, statistically speaking that is ,when HSA eligible enrollees are compared with non-CDHP enrollees.

If you've read this far, and need a little CDHP or HSA education click on either link and learn a little.

If you want to know the characteristics of a 2008 HSA eligible enrollee keep reading.  If you are wondering what the definition of an "HSA eligible enrollee" is; the research sample was derived from Blue Cross Blue Shield HDHP plan members who either had opened an HSA or were eligible to open one.

So, and HSA eligible enrollee:

• is more likely to be offered an incentive to open their HSA
• wants more control over their healthcare costs
• is more cost conscious and cost driven
• is more engaged in tracking their healthcare expenses
• is more engaged in understanding their healthcare costs prior to treatment
• is more engaged in healthcare screening, exercise, nutrition, and health coaching
• uses more preventative services but no less necessary care services than non-CDHP enrollees (they are no more inclined to skimp on things like inpatient/outpatient procedures, diagnostic imaging, ER visits)

So, to say it again, if you are part of the HSA nation, there's a pretty good chance you are indeed an HSA savvy shopper.  But you knew that already didn't you?