Managed medical care growth rubs off on dentistry

MANAGED CARE June 1998. ©1998 Stezzi Communications

Two new studies illustrate continued red-hot growth in managed care. HMO enrollment continues to post double-digit increases for the fourth consecutive year, though the rate of increase has returned to more traditional levels. HMO enrollment in 1997 topped 70 million, up 12 percent from a year earlier. Managed care's growing influence isn't limited to medicine: The number of people with managed dental benefits, whether they are enrolled in a dental HMO or preferred-provider organization, jumped 18 percent from 1995 to 1996. A similar enrollment increase is expected when heads are counted for 1997.

SOURCES: INTERSTUDY PUBLICATIONS, ST. PAUL, MINN; NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DENTAL PLANS, DALLAS, 1998