Reality check: What members say about managed care and regulation

MANAGED CARE January 1998. ©1998 Stezzi Communications

Managed care companies that say they are becoming more responsive to members will want to pay attention to consumer attitudes reflected in a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of health plan members. Most consumers, whether enrolled in a managed care plan or fee-for-service coverage, give their health plan a grade of B or higher, but many remain wary of managed care. On the $64,000 question in Washington — Should the government mandate consumer protection in health care coverage? — a significant minority of respondents says such regulation would not be worth the expense.

Source: KAISER/HARVARD NATIONAL SURVEY OF AMERICANS' VIEWS ON MANAGED CARE, KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION, MENLO PARK, CALIF., 1997