Preventive Medical Care: Standards, Usage, and Efficacy

摘要

The study analyzed data collected in the Health Insurance Experiment (HIE). The data are based on a representative sample that is demographically similar to the general population of six urban and rural sites from the four census regions of the United States. The HIE included a randomly assigned preventive health measure: A total of 60 percent of HIE participants were randomly selected to receive a general physical examination upon entry to the study. All participants were randomly assigned to one of several insurance plans with varying levels of coinsurance. A small beneficial, but statistically insignificant, effect of a randomly assigned physical examination upon the use of health services and upon the individual's health status after 3 years was found. When the effects of preventive care sought by individuals during the course of this study was examined, the same pattern of statistically insignificant, small, beneficial effects upon health status was found.