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Corita R. Grudzen, MD; Robert H. Brook, MD, ScD

JAMA. 2007;297:1126-1127.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In this issue of JAMA, Wharam and colleagues¹ report findings from an observational study that assesses the relationship between transition to a high-deductible health plan and use of emergency departments (EDs). The authors use a sophisticated administrative data set, a large sample of patients enrolled in a modern employer-sponsored health plan, and impeccable health services research methods. Their major conclusion is that individuals whose health insurance coverage was switched to a high-deductible health plan, compared with those in a traditional health maintenance organization, reduced overall ED visits by about 10%, mainly for conditions of low and indeterminate severity.

Some may infer from these findings that high-deductible health plans are safe, at least because they do not appear to deter necessary emergency visits. However, even though the study methods are sound, the data are as good as possible, and the study . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles (Dr Grudzen); and RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif, and UCLA Center for Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (Dr Brook).

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