WHAT INFORMATION DO CONSUMERS WANT AND NEED

This paper reviews information from surveys and focus group studies ab out how consumers define high-quality care and the types of informatio n they want when making decisions about which health plan to join. The authors also interviewed consumer advocacy groups and persons respons ible for disseminating health plan information to Medicare enrollees i n various types of managed care plans to learn about the types of plan information that Medicare enrollees most often request. They describe the types of information that should be made available to consumers a nd the challenges involved in making this information understandable a nd useful.