Feldman R, Wholey D, Christianson J
Institute for Health Services Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Health Care Financ Rev. 1996 Spring;17(3):171-89.
This study estimated the effect of mergers on health maintenance organization (HMO) premiums, using data on all operational non-Medicaid HMOs in the United States from 1985 to 1993. Two critical issues were examined: whether HMO mergers increase or decrease premiums; and whether the effects of mergers differ according to the degree of competition among HMOs in local markets. The only significant merger effect was found in the most competitive markets, where premiums increased, but only for 1 year after the merger. Our research does not support the argument that consolidation of HMOs in local markets will benefit consumers through lower premiums.
本研究利用1985年至1993年美国所有运营的非医疗补助健康维护组织（HMO）的数据，估算了合并对HMO保费的影响。研究考察了两个关键问题：HMO合并会提高还是降低保费；合并的影响是否会因当地市场HMO之间的竞争程度不同而有所差异。唯一显著的合并效应出现在竞争最激烈的市场，合并后保费有所上涨，但仅持续了1年。我们的研究不支持这样的观点，即当地市场HMO的整合会通过降低保费使消费者受益。
