Effects of supplemental coverage on use of services by Medicare enrollees.
This article estimates the extent to which private insurance supplements affect use of services by Medicare enrollees. Three types of supplements to Medicare's coverage are examined--Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), medigap (MGP) plans, and employment-based indemnity (EBI) plans. While each kind of supplement reduces cost sharing on Medicare-covered services, only HMOs do so without increasing enrollees' overall use of services. Use of services by HMO enrollees is about 4 percent lower than use by similar Medicare enrollees with no insurance supplement. By contrast, use of services by enrollees with MGP coverage is 28 percent higher, and use of services by enrollees with EBI plans is 17 percent higher.
Christensen
S
S
US Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC 20515, USA. sandyc@cob.gov
Shinogle
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D017054:Insurance, Medigap / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States