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.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Aged
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Aged, 80 and over / statistics & numerical data
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Attitude to Health
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Continuity of Patient Care / organization & administration
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Cost Sharing / statistics & numerical data
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Financing, Personal / statistics & numerical data
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Health Care Sector / trends
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Health Maintenance Organizations / organization & administration*
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Health Services Accessibility / statistics & numerical data
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Humans
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Insurance Benefits / statistics & numerical data
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Insurance Coverage / organization & administration*
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Insurance, Medigap / statistics & numerical data
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Medicare / organization & administration*
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Middle Aged
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Persons with Disabilities / statistics & numerical data
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Poverty / statistics & numerical data
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Surveys and Questionnaires
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United States