A Comparison of Physician and Hospital Use among the Nonelderly Covered by HMOs and Indemnity Insurance

Abstract

This article uses data from the 1992 National Health Interview Survey to compare medical services use between chronically ill nonelderly people with health maintenance organization (HMO) or indemnity insurance. The authors estimated regressions for two subgroups of privately insured individuals: those with 1 or more of 15 chronic conditions and those who reported their health as being fair or poor. For the subgroup with chronic conditions, HMO members were more likely to have a physician visit, controlling for other factors, than their indemnity counterparts. The authors found no differences in the likelihood of having a hospital stay or in the number of hospital days for those with at least one stay. Finally, for the subgroup who reported their health as being fair or poor, the authors found no differences in service use between HMO members and similar people in indemnity plans.