A comparison of expectations for selected physician and managed health care services between Medicare-eligible and the next Medicare-eligible generation.
The year 1998 marks the beginning of a major turning point in the composition of the Medicare-eligible population, making the next few years a significant watershed for those concerned with the provision of health care to seniors. For approximately the next 12 years, those seniors entering the Medicare-eligible health care market, the so-called Swing generation, will have different characteristics and expectations from those generations that precede or follow it. Through standard survey methods, this study explores and compares the differences in selected health services expectations between the current generation of Medicare-eligible seniors and the next Medicare-eligible generation. Significant differences were found between the two groups on variables related to wait time, medical preparedness, communication, and expectations of managed care coverage. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for health care service providers and managed care organizations.
Wood
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SD
Arizona State University, Scottsdale 85251, USA.
Hunter
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ME
Lescault
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D000368:Aged; D001130:Arizona; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006285:Health Planning; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits; D008297:Male; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006278:Medicare / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014481:United States