Financing Workers’ Health Care Cash Flow Needs: A Pilot Study

MedPut offers a way for employees to pay their out-of-pocket health care expenses through payroll deducted or Health Savings Account (HSA) payments capped at 5% of gross pay. Employees that use MedPut are much more likely to report having problems paying medical bills and to report putting off health care due to cost concerns.

Nearly a third of employees offered MedPut registered for it and of registered employees, over a fifth used it at least once over a 2.5 year period. Registration and usage rates were highest among employees who paid the usage fee compared to employees whose employer paid all or part of the fee and among employees with dependents. The average amount of bills employees submitted to be paid by MedPut was $1,379. Over a third of these cases resulted in reduced charges negotiated by MedPut for a discount rate of 18%. MedPut may offer an important option for helping employees – especially among those with High Deductible Health Plans who may delay care – manage their out-of-pocket health care expenses.