The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently called for better public information about consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) and other forms of insurance. The white paper "Protecting Consumers in an Evolving Health Insurance Market" also examines the rapid growth in enrollment in consumer-directed plans, identifies disparities in state regulatory and licensure requirements and offers suggestions to enhance consumer protection.

The growth of CDHPs in the last four years has highlighted the need for stronger protections. Enrollment has grown nearly eightfold in the past 18 months, according to America’s Health Insurance Plans. Nearly 90 percent of these plans are preferred provider organization (PPO) plans, and this has far-reaching effects on health care access, cost, quality of care, consumer satisfaction and risk segmentation. While most states have established standards and reporting requirements for HMOs, they haven’t created similar standards for PPOs.

Recommendations include:

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