Health effects of managed care among the near-elderly.

OBJECTIVE

The authors evaluate whether enrolling in a health maintenance organization (HMO) or preferred provider organization (PPO) affects the health of adults ages 55 to 64, relative to fee-for-service plans.

METHODS

A nationwide random sample of 4,044 adults with employer-sponsored health insurance is drawn from the 1994 to 2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Multinomial logit regressions are estimated for self-reported general health status, first using a sample of all near-elders, then using subsamples of near-elders with and without longstanding chronic health conditions. The possibility of selection bias into managed care plans is considered and explicitly addressed in model estimation.

RESULTS

We find no ill effects of HMOs on health status, and older adults with a history of chronic health conditions actually fare better upon enrolling in these plans.

DISCUSSION

More research is needed to understand the reasons for the observed beneficial effects of managed care.