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Why Are Managed Care Plans Less Expensive: Risk Selection, Utilization, or Reimbursement?

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  • Daniel Polsky
  • Sean Nicholson

Abstract

This article develops a new method of decomposing the cost difference between HMO and non‐HMO plans into observed risk selection, unobserved risk selection, utilization differences, and differences in provider reimbursement rates. We implement this method using a large national sample of employer‐sponsored health insurance enrollees from the Community Tracking Study Household Survey. We find no evidence that HMO plans attract a disproportionate share of low‐risk enrollees; the US$188 difference between HMO and non‐HMO medical expenditures per enrollee can be explained by the relatively low provider reimbursement rates paid by HMO plans. This indicates there may be little need for employers to risk adjust insurance premiums or otherwise restrict employee choice of plan types.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Polsky & Sean Nicholson, 2004. "Why Are Managed Care Plans Less Expensive: Risk Selection, Utilization, or Reimbursement?," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 71(1), pages 21-40, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jrinsu:v:71:y:2004:i:1:p:21-40
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-4367.2004.00077.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Mario Jametti & Thomas von Ungern-Sternberg, 2010. "Risk Selection in Natural-Disaster Insurance," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 166(2), pages 344-364, June.
    2. Mario Jametti & Thomas von Ungern-Sternberg, 2006. "Risk Selection in Natural Disaster Insurance – the Case of France," CESifo Working Paper Series 1683, CESifo.
    3. Dominic Coey, 2013. "Physician Incentives and Treatment Choices in Heart Attack Management," Discussion Papers 12-027, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    4. Sean Nicholson & Kate Bundorf & Rebecca M. Stein & Daniel Polsky, 2003. "The Magnitude and Nature of Risk Selection in Employer-Sponsored Health Plans," NBER Working Papers 9937, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Bradley Herring & E. Kathleen Adams, 2011. "Using HMOs to serve the Medicaid population: what are the effects on utilization and does the type of HMO matter?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(4), pages 446-460, April.
    6. Eli Liebman & Matthew T. Panhans, 2021. "Why do narrow network plans cost less?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(10), pages 2437-2451, September.
    7. Chunling Lu & Richard G. Frank & Thomas G. Mcguire, 2009. "Demand Response To Cost Sharing Under Managed Health Care," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 27(1), pages 1-15, January.
    8. Vaidya, Shalvaree, 2021. "The impact of premium subsidies on health plan choices in Switzerland: Who responds to the incentives set by in-kind as opposed to cash transfers?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(6), pages 675-684.
    9. Mario Jametti & Thomas von Ungern-Sternberg, 2010. "Risk Selection in Natural-Disaster Insurance," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 166(2), pages 344-364, June.
    10. Elizabeth L. Munnich & Michael R. Richards, 2020. "Treatment flows after outsourcing public insurance provision: Evidence from Florida Medicaid," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(11), pages 1343-1363, November.
    11. Jason Shafrin, 2010. "Operating on commission: analyzing how physician financial incentives affect surgery rates," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(5), pages 562-580, May.
    12. Michael Anderson & Carlos Dobkin & Tal Gross, 2012. "The Effect of Health Insurance Coverage on the Use of Medical Services," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 1-27, February.
    13. Kaestner, Robert & Guardado, Jose, 2008. "Medicare reimbursement, nurse staffing, and patient outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 339-361, March.

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