Table 3.
Descriptive Characteristics of Enrollees Who Defied Original Plan Assignment
| Variable | Assigned to Medicaid‐Focused Plan, Enrolled or Switched to Mixed Plan/FFS (N = 848) | Assigned to Mixed Plan, Enrolled or Switched to Medicaid‐Focused/FFS (N = 366) | p‐Value | Complied with Plan Assignment (N = 5,614) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | ||||
| <18 | 58.0 | 63.8 | 61.0 | |
| 18–45 | 34.6 | 32.2 | 33.2 | |
| 46–64 | 7.4 | 4.1 | .042 | 5.8 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| White | 82 | 62 | 69 | |
| Black | 8 | 10 | 11 | |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 8 | 26 | 16 | |
| Native American | 0 | 0 | <.001 | 1 |
| Enrollment pathway | ||||
| Pregnancy | 2.8 | 6.0 | 5.6 | |
| Disability | 2.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | |
| Child | 60.9 | 62.4 | 62.0 | |
| Parent/caretaker | 23.2 | 18.0 | 20.0 | |
| Adult other | 10.9 | 9.5 | .008 | 8.8 |
| Language | ||||
| English | 96.0 | 85.0 | 92.0 | |
| Spanish | 3.7 | 15.0 | 7.3 | |
| Other | .35 | .00 | <.000 | 0.80 |
| Residing in highest quintile of neighborhood disadvantage | 5.7 | 13.4 | <.000 | 10.4 |
| Historical utilization | ||||
| Any admission | 7.1 | 13.4 | <.001 | 9.8 |
| Any ED visits | 26.1 | 32.7 | .018 | 29.4 |
| >2 Doctor visits | 76.4 | 79.8 | .190 | 75.1 |
| Utilization prior to switch* | ||||
| Any admission | 1.2 | 5.4 | <.001 | |
| Any ED visit | 12.7 | 20.7 | .012 | |
| Any office visit | 59.4 | 79.9 | <.001 | |
| Health status | ||||
| Charlson comorbidity index (kids included) | ||||
| 1 | 4.6 | 7.9 | 4.9 | |
| 2 | 0.83 | 0.27 | 0.041 | 0.77 |
| Pollack children with special needs (<18 years old) | 27.0 | 31.7 | 0.233 | 28.9 |
Notes. This sample includes all enrollees who opted to enroll in the plan they were not assigned to at the time of randomization or switched after a period of enrollment in their originally assigned plan. It also includes those who were enrolled in fee‐for‐service as opposed to managed care, which means they were not covered by either managed care plan. p‐Value refers to the differences between the two plans. Nonswitchers’ demographics provided for comparison. p‐Values were computed using chi‐square tests for categorical variables, two‐sample t tests for continuous variables, and two‐sample t tests for differences between proportions.
*Captures utilization that occurred after random assignment but before the switch or opt out date or before 6 months had elapsed, whichever occurred first.