Understanding Consumer Choice Dynamics in the ACA State Marketplaces (2014)

Principal Investigator: Anna Sinaiko, PhD, Harvard University

The goal of this study is to inform state and federal policy-makers involved in the design and operation of the ACA marketplaces on ways to refine and update the functionality and structure of the marketplace design to help consumers choose high-value plans. The researchers will survey enrollees in individual or family plans purchased through two state-based marketplaces: one that has taken an active purchase approach to design (Connecticut) and one that is operating as a clearinghouse of all qualified plans (Washington State). This research seeks to understand the decision-making processes and the factors considered in individual and family plan choices, and how health plan choice dynamics and enrollment outcomes are affected by the ACA marketplace design (also referred to as "choice architecture") and enrollee characteristics.

Publications

Choice Dynamics of "Money Wasting" Plan Choices in ACA State Marketplaces
(June 2016, Presentation at University of Pennsylvania Huntsman Hall for ASHEcon)