Association Between High-Deductible Health Plans and Hernia Acuity

IMPORTANCE About half of people younger than 65 years with private insurance are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). While these plans entail substantially higher out-of-pocket costs for patients with chronic medical conditions who require ongoing care, their effect on patients undergoing surgery who require acute care is poorly understood. It is plausible that higher out-of-pocket costs may lead to delays in care and more complex surgical conditions. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between enrollment in HDHPs and presentation with incarcerated or strangulated hernia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cohort analysis included privately insured patients aged 18 to 63 years from a large commercial insurance claims database who underwent a ventral or groin hernia operation from January 2016 through June 2019 and classified their coverage as either a traditional health plan or an HDHP per the Internal Revenue Service's definition. Multivariable regression, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates, was used to examine the association between enrollment in an HDHP and the primary outcome of presentation with an incarcerated or strangulated hernia. EXPOSURES Traditional health plan vs HDHP. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Presence of an incarcerated or strangulated hernia per International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision diagnosis codes. RESULTS Among 83 281 patients (71.9% men and 28.1% women; mean [SD] age, 48.7 [10.9] years) who underwent hernia surgery, 27 477 (33.0%) were enrolled in an HDHP and 21 876 (26.2%) had a hernia that was coded as incarcerated or strangulated. The mean annual deductible was considerably higher for those in the HDHP group than their traditional health plan counterparts (unadjusted mean [SD], $3635 [$2094] vs $705 [$737]; adjusted, -$2931; P <.001). Patients in the HDHP group were more likely to present with an incarcerated or strangulated hernia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.11; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study, enrollment in an HDHP was associated with higher odds of presenting with an incarcerated or strangulated hernia, which is more likely to require emergency surgery that precludes medical optimization. These data suggest that, among patients with groin and ventral hernias, enrollment in an HDHP may be associated with delays in surgical care that result in complex disease presentation.