Managed care spillover effects.
In addition to influencing care for patients enrolled in managed care plans, growth in managed care could lead to broad changes in the structure and functioning of the health care system that could ultimately influence care for all patients, even those not covered by managed care plans. This paper summarizes the mechanisms by which these effects could arise, including shifts in the types of services available in markets and changes in physician practice patterns. The paper summarizes available empirical evidence on broad-level effects of managed care, concluding that the literature supports the view that managed care can have generalized effects on health care spending, utilization patterns, and infrastructure, although existing literature has not clearly identified effects on health outcomes.
Baker
Laurence C
LC
National Bureau of Economic Research and Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5405, USA. laurence.baker@stanford.edu
D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012922:Social Change; D014481:United States