Health Care Financing Grants and Contracts Report Consumer Choice and Cost Containment: SAFECO's United Healthcare Plan

摘要

This report presents the United Healthcare (UHC) experience, compared with two other health care plans, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska and Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. These plans were offered to Washington State employees during 1978-80, providing a natural setting for evaluating physician and consumer participation and the use of health services in three plans which were organized and financed in different ways. UHC was successful in recruiting and retaining primary care physicians, but the plan had little impact on their style of practice. The plan was also successful in attracting consumers and it did not experience adverse selection. The three plans were similar in hospital use, but they differed significantly in ambulatory use. Overall, UHC had the highest use and intensity of ambulatory services.