How It Works

Engaged Benefit Design (EBD) is a new approach to health insurance. It is a tool that was commissioned by the State of Colorado and developed by Engaged Public and a team of Colorado medical experts. It is used to modify an existing benefit package, building in incentives for better, smarter healthcare decisions, guaranteeing more health for your healthcare dollar at any price point.

Key Features:

• No Co-pay, High-Value  For many chronic conditions and preventive services for which there is a best practice, there is no co-pay when people receive that care. These screenings and treatments, such as prenatal care and insulin to treat diabetes, have strong scientific evidence to support their use. For a list of these high value services, click here.

• Costs More, Learn More  Some treatments may be appropriate for people in certain circumstances, but not others.  They are often expensive and require careful consideration by the patient. Such treatments have an additional surcharge, which is intended to serve as a “speed bump” in the decision making process sending a message to slow down, learn about all the options, and then make a decision with your caregiver. For a list of these services, click here.

• Shared Decision-Making  Shared decision-making begins with a discussion between a patient and their healthcare provider about their health, their treatment options, the benefits and risks of those options, and their personal preferences and values. It is the act of reaching an agreement together on the best strategy for treatment. EBD’s goal is to create the conditions necessary to enable shared decision-making. It does this through patient education and the use of Patient Decision Aids (PDAs). PDAs are evidence-based tools, including videos and booklets, that make the options, benefits, and risks for medical decisions clearer. They help patients consider their personal values and set the foundation for patients to make an informed choice in partnership with their clinician and loved ones. EBD makes these tools available to all employees. 

What is Evidence-Based Medicine?