The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is a powerful tool for analyzing enrollees' access to medical care (Adler, 1994). Based on a stratified random sample, we can derive information about the health care use, expenditure, and financing of Medicare's 36 million enrollees. We can also learn about those enrollees' health status, living arrangements, and access to and satisfaction with care.
In the charts that follow, we have presented some findings on enrollee use of fee-for-service (FFS) care versus health maintenance organization (HMO) membership. The charts demonstrate the role of demographic factors in enrollee mode of care.
Entitlement Distribution (Age Versus Disability).
Enrollees 65 years of age or over are more likely to join HMOs than the disabled.
Income Distribution.
Enrollees with the highest incomes tend to choose FFS health care.
Health Status Distribution.
Fifty percent of HMO enrollees rate their health as excellent or very good compared with 39 percent of FFS enrollees.
Flu Shots, Mammograms, and Pap Smears.
HMO enrollees tend to receive more preventative services.
ADL/IADL Limitations.
HMO enrollees tend to be less limited in their ADLs.
Footnotes
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Health Care Financing Administration.
Reprint Requests: John A. Poisal, Health Care Financing Administration, Office of the Actuary, 7500 Security Boulevard, N-3-03-13, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.
Reference
- Adler G. A Profile of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Health Care Financing Review. 1994 Summer;15(4):153–163. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]