Health Plan Switching among Members of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Atherly ◽  
Curtis Florence ◽  
Kenneth E. Thorpe
Keyword(s):  
Managed Care ◽  
Health Plan ◽  
Switching Costs ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health Plans ◽  
Federal Employees ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Preferred Provider Organizations

This paper examines factors associated with switching health plans in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Switching plans is not uncommon, with 12% of members switching plans annually. Individuals switch out of plans with premium increases and benefit decreases relative to other plans in the market. Switching is negatively associated with age due to increasing switching costs associated with age rather than decreasing premium sensitivity. Individuals in preferred provider organizations are less likely to switch, but are more responsive to premium increases than those in the managed care sector. Those who do switch plans are likely to switch to a different plan in the same sector.

scholarly journals Physical Therapy Use by Community-Based Older People

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet K Freburger ◽  
George M Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Managed Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Factors Associated

Abstract Background and Purpose. Little information is available on factors associated with physical therapy use. Identifying the characteristics of people who use physical therapy and some of the factors associated with its use is a useful first step in determining whether disparities exist in physical therapy use. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with physical therapy use by community-based older people. Subjects. The subjects were community-based people 65 years of age or older who participated in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and had at least one physician encounter (N=38,312 person-years across 20,227 individuals). Methods. Logit and ordinary least squares regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with physical therapy use. Results. Several measures of health and function were associated with physical therapy use. Several demographic, insurance, and geographic characteristics also were associated with physical therapy use. Income, education, having supplemental private insurance, participating in a managed care plan, and physical therapist supply were positively associated with physical therapy use. Age was negatively associated with physical therapy use. For people who saw a physical therapist, amount of physical therapy received was positively associated with income, having supplemental private insurance, living in a metropolitan area, physical therapist supply, and being African American. Amount of physical therapy received was negatively associated with being in a managed care plan. Discussion and Conclusions. Variation in physical therapy use, explained by factors other than need, suggests potential underuse or overuse of physical therapy by community-based older people.

scholarly journals Health Plans Respond to Parity: Managing Behavioral Health Care in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. SUSAN RIDGELY ◽  
M. AUDREY BURNAM ◽  
COLLEEN L. BARRY ◽  
HOWARD H. GOLDMAN ◽  
KEVIN D. HENNESSY
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Behavioral Health Care ◽  
Health Plans ◽  
Federal Employees

Health Plan Selection in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

1985 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Schuttinga ◽  
Marilyn Falik ◽  
Bruce Steinwald
Keyword(s):  
Health Plan ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Federal Employees ◽  
Plan Selection

Comparing Public and Private Choices of Managed Health Care Plans: Rhetoric versus Reality

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-245
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Reddick
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Managed Care ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health Plans ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Plans

The rhetoric is that the public sector provides broader coverage and more affordability of health benefits to its employees than the private sector. This study examines the reality of public and private health plans. It focuses specifically on the three types of managed care plans: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), and Point-of-Service (POS) plans. An examination of health care benefits is especially important given the double-digit rise in premiums since 2001. This article first focuses on the literature showing differences in health benefits in the public sector compared with the private sector. The literature on the factors that influence choice of managed care plans are also examined. The results reveal that public sector health care costs are slightly higher and fewer plans are offered to its employees. There are fewer alternative health care options, such as high deductible health plans and health savings accounts, as compared with what is offered by the private sector. In addition, the logistic regression results reveal that there are significant differences between the public and private sectors in types of plans offered, controlling for organizational and community factors, characteristics of health care plans, and opinions of human resources (HR) managers on controlling costs.

Labor Market Concentration and Worker Contributions to Health Insurance Premiums

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755872110129
Author(s):  
Mark K. Meiselbach ◽  
Matthew D. Eisenberg ◽  
Ge Bai ◽  
Aditi Sen ◽  
Gerard F. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Health Plan ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Market Concentration ◽  
Medical Expenditure ◽  
Insurance Premiums ◽  
Health Insurance Premiums

In concentrated labor markets, where workers have fewer employers to choose from, employers may exploit their monopsony power by contributing less to workers’ health benefits. This study examined if labor market concentration was associated with higher worker contributions to health plan premiums. We combined publicly available data from the Census to calculate labor market concentration and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance/Employer Component to determine premium contributions from 2010 to 2016 for metropolitan areas. After controlling for year fixed-effects and market characteristics, we found that higher labor market concentration was associated with higher worker contributions to health plan premiums, lower take-home income, and no change in employer contributions to premiums, consistent with the hypothesis that greater labor market concentration is associated with less generous health benefits. When evaluating the effects of mergers and acquisitions on labor markets, regulatory agencies should critically assess worker contributions to health insurance premiums.

scholarly journals Factors associated with low levels of patient satisfaction following peripheral nerve block

2021 ◽  
pp. 0310057X2097240
Author(s):  
Anthony D Hade ◽  
Satomi Okano ◽  
Anita Pelecanos ◽  
Adrian Chin
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Nerve Block ◽  
Peripheral Nerve Block ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Post Anaesthesia Care Unit ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Anaesthesia Care

Peripheral nerve blocks can provide surgical anaesthesia as well as excellent postoperative analgesia. When questioned postoperatively, however, some patients report low levels of satisfaction with their nerve block experience. At our hospital, patients undergoing regional anaesthesia have their patient characteristics, block characteristics and postoperative feedback routinely recorded in a block registry. We analysed data from 979 consecutive patients undergoing peripheral nerve block for orthopaedic surgery to identify factors associated with low levels of patient satisfaction. The primary outcome was patient satisfaction with their peripheral nerve block (scale 1–5: 4–5 is ‘satisfied’, 1–3 is ‘not satisfied’). Eighty-nine percent (871/979) of patients reported being ‘satisfied’ with their block. Factors negatively associated with patient satisfaction were rebound pain (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 0.85 for moderate rebound pain; aOR 0.11, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.48 for severe rebound pain), discomfort during the block (aOR 0.37, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.82 for moderate discomfort; aOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.76 for severe discomfort) and pain in the post-anaesthesia care unit (aOR 0.30, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.55 for pain ≥8/10). Only 24% (26/108) of patients who reported being ‘not satisfied’ stated that they would be unwilling to undergo a hypothetical future nerve block. Rebound pain of at least moderate intensity, procedural discomfort of at least moderate intensity and severe pain in the post-anaesthesia care unit are all negatively associated with patient satisfaction. Of these factors, rebound pain occurs most frequently, being present in 52% (403/777) of our respondents.

scholarly journals Factors associated with hypertension in Pakistan: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0246085
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riaz ◽  
Ghazala Shah ◽  
Muhammad Asif ◽  
Asma Shah ◽  
Kaustubh Adhikari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Health Related

Background High blood pressure is an important public health concern and the leading risk factor for global mortality and morbidity. To assess the implications of this condition, we aimed to review the existing literature and study the factors that are significantly associated with hypertension in the Pakistani population. Methods We conducted several electronic searches in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus, Elsevier, and manually searched the citations of published articles on hypertension from May 2019 to August 2019. We included all studies that examined factors associated with hypertension regardless of the study design. To assess the quality of the research, we used the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. We also conducted meta-analyses using the DerSimonian & Laird random-effects model to collate results from at least three studies. Results We included 30 cross-sectional and 7 case-control studies (99,391 participants country-wide) in this review and found 13 (35.1%) to be high-quality studies. We identified 5 socio-demographic, 3 lifestyle, 3 health-related, and 4 psychological variables that were significantly associated with hypertension. Adults aged between 30–60 years who were married, living in urban areas with high incomes, used tobacco, had a family history of hypertension, and had comorbidities (overweight, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, stress, and anger management issues) were positively associated with hypertension. On the other hand, individuals having high education levels, normal physical activity, and unrestricted salt in their diet were negatively associated with hypertension. Conclusion We found several socio-demographic, lifestyle, health-related, and psychological factors that were significantly (positively and negatively) associated with hypertension. Our findings may help physicians and public health workers to identify high-risk groups and recommend appropriate prevention strategies. Further research is warranted to investigate these factors rigorously and collate global evidence on the same.

scholarly journals Union, Premium Cost, and the Provision of Employment-based Health Insurance

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 237802311879850
Author(s):  
Ken-Hou Lin ◽  
Samuel Bondurant ◽  
Andrew Messamore
Keyword(s):  
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Critical Force ◽  
First Century ◽  
Medical Expenditure ◽  
Health Plans ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
Employment Relationships

The decline of employment-based health plans is commonly attributed to rising premium costs. Using restricted data and a matched sample from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey–Insurance Component, the authors extend previous studies by testing the relationships among premium costs, employment relationships, and the provision of health benefits between 1999 and 2012. The authors report that both establishment- and state-level union densities are associated with a higher likelihood of employers’ providing health plans, whereas right-to-work legislation is associated with lower provision. These factors combined rival rising premium cost in predicting offering. This finding indicates that the declining provision of health benefits could be in part driven by the transformation of the employment relationship in the United States and that labor unions may remain a critical force in sustaining employment-based coverage in the twenty-first century.

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