Consumer perspectives on Medicaid managed care: a comparison between rural and urban enrollees in one selected health plan.
This report presents the findings from a telephone survey of 313 respondents who have family members enrolled in Medicaid managed care in a multicounty region that encompasses both rural and urban counties in Wisconsin. Some demographic differences were noted between the rural and urban families that might affect their impressions of the health care system, their needs for services and their abilities to use those services appropriately. Families in the urban counties had poorer access to health care, as they were more likely to report at least one child not being assigned to a primary care provider. Inadequate preventive health behaviors were found among both rural and urban families, as evidenced by children being overdue for immunizations or health checkups. Yet respondents reported being happy with the care they received. Rural families in particular seemed to fare well in this managed care system.
Riportella-Muller
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Department of Consumer Science, University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA. rriporte@facstaff.wisc.edu
D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000592:standards*; D008484:Medicaid / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000145:classification*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014922:Wisconsin