HMOs show new signs of consolidation.
As a record number of Americans join managed-care plans, the industry is showing signs of another round of consolidation. Enrollment in HMOs climbed 5% last year to 36.5 million, but the number of prepaid plans has dropped significantly since 1988. Experts forecast the continued expansion of managed healthcare, but they also expect continued shrinkage in the number of plans as healthier HMOs grow through acquisition of smaller, struggling competitors.
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D005544:Forecasting; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000639:trends*; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States