Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released data showing that total national health spending increased by less than 4 percent in 2009 and 2010, the slowest annual pace in five decades. Writing in the New York Times (“In Hopeful Sign, Health Spending is Flattening Out”), Annie Lowrey discusses factors contributing to this trend. Many experts point to the weak economy as a chief cause.There is consensus among experts, however, that there are other contributors besides the economic downturn, including the growth in recent years in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). HCFO-funded research offers insights into the features of HDHPs and their unintended consequences.