MANAGED CARE IN THE TWIN-CITIES - WHAT CAN WE LEARN

Minneapolis/St. Paul, because of its history of health maintenance org anization development and active employer participation in the health care arena, is often cited as a community in which managed competition has been tested to some degree. This paper reviews the historical dev elopment of the Twin Cities health care market ind summarizes findings from past studies of this market. it also describes the recent consol idation of providers in the Twin Cities, as well as the activities of large purchasing coalitions. Finally, it assesses the elements of the Twin Cities experience that seem most relevant to managed competition- based health care reform proposals.