title: Medicare HMO withdrawals: what happens to beneficiaries?
abstract: More than 400,000 Medicare beneficiaries had to seek other insurance arrangements when their health maintenance organization (HMO) withdrew from Medicare at the end of 1998. According to a new survey of 1,830 involuntarily disenrolled Medicare beneficiaries, two-thirds subsequently enrolled in another Medicare HMO; one-third experienced a decline in benefits, and 39 percent reported higher monthly premiums. One in seven lost prescription drug coverage; about one in five had to switch to a new primary care doctor or specialist. Those with traditional Medicare by itself or with Medigap, the disabled under age sixty-five, the oldest old, and the near-poor experienced the greatest hardship after their HMO withdrew.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Practice of Barents Group LLC, Washington, D.C., USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Laschober
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuman
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kitchman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Langwell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000639:trends; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017054:Insurance, Medigap / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006278:Medicare / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States