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Competition in Imperfect Markets: Does it Help California's Medicaid Mothers?

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  • Aizer, Ann
  • Currie, Janet
  • Moretti, Enrico

Abstract

Poor and uneducated patients may not know what health care is desirable and, if fully insured, have little incentive to minimize the costs of their care. Partly in response to these concerns, most states have moved a substantial portion of their Medicaid caseloads out of traditional competitive fee-for-service (FFS) care, and into mandatory managed care (MMC) plans that severely restrict the choice of provider. We use a unique longitudinal data base of California births in order to examine the impact of this policy on pregnant women and infants. California phased in MMC creating variation in the timing of MMC. We identify the effects of MMC using changes in the regime faced by individual mothers between births. Some counties adopted single-carrier plans, while others adopted regimes with at least two carriers. Hence, we also ask whether competition between at least two carriers improved MMC outcomes. We find that MMC reduced the quality of prenatal care and increased low birth weight, prematurity, and neonatal death. Our results suggest that the competitive FFS system provided better care than the new MMC system, and that requiring the participation of at least two plans did not improve matters.

Suggested Citation

  • Aizer, Ann & Currie, Janet & Moretti, Enrico, 2004. "Competition in Imperfect Markets: Does it Help California's Medicaid Mothers?," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt6kq430m9, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:econwp:qt6kq430m9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Currie, Janet & Fahr, John, 2005. "Medicaid managed care: effects on children's Medicaid coverage and utilization," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 85-108, January.
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    3. Robert Kaestner & Lisa Dubay & Genevieve Kenney, 2002. "Medicaid Managed Care and Infant Health: A National Evaluation," NBER Working Papers 8936, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    5. Currie, Janet & Gruber, Jonathan, 1996. "Saving Babies: The Efficacy and Cost of Recent Changes in the Medicaid Eligibility of Pregnant Women," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 104(6), pages 1263-1296, December.
    6. Krieger, J.W. & Connell, F.A. & LoGerfo, J.P., 1992. "Medicaid prenatal care: A comparison of use and outcomes in fee-for- service and managed care," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 82(2), pages 185-190.
    7. Glied, Sherry, 2000. "Managed care," Handbook of Health Economics, in: A. J. Culyer & J. P. Newhouse (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 13, pages 707-753, Elsevier.
    8. repec:mpr:mprres:2606 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Lorenzo Moreno, "undated". "The Influence of TennCare on Perinatal Outcomes," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 0c74aec20a4c4ddba4fd658a1, Mathematica Policy Research.
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    12. Griffin, J.F. & Hogan, J.W. & Buechner, J.S. & Leddy, T.M., 1999. "The effect of a Medicaid managed care program on the adequacy of prenatal care utilization in Rhode Island," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 89(4), pages 497-501.
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    Cited by:

    1. Janet Currie, 2004. "Viewpoint: Child research comes of age," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 37(3), pages 509-527, August.
    2. Bennmarker, Helge & Grönqvist, Erik & Öckert, Björn, 2013. "Effects of contracting out employment services: Evidence from a randomized experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 68-84.
    3. Jennifer Arlen & W. Bentley MacLeod, 2005. "Torts, Expertise, and Authority: Liability of Physicians and Managed Care Organizations," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 36(3), pages 494-519, Autumn.

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