Keywords

access to care, ambulatory care, managed care, Medicaid, race and ethnicity

 

Authors

  1. Seligman, Hilary K. MD
  2. Chattopadhyay, Arpita PhD
  3. Vittinghoff, Eric PhD
  4. Bindman, Andrew B. MD

Abstract

We used a cross-sectional, population-based sample of Medicaid beneficiaries aged 18-64 to determine whether managed care enrollment was associated with reduced racial/ethnic disparities in self-reported access to primary care services compared with fee-for-service. Managed care beneficiaries reported greater access in each racial/ethnic category and for each outcome than did fee-for-service beneficiaries, although associations were not always statistically significant. Racial/ethnic minorities enrolled in managed care plans reported as much benefit from managed care enrollment as did whites. Within Medicaid, interventions aimed at the health insurance delivery model can facilitate increased access to primary care services without enhancing racial/ethnic disparities.