EMPLOYER-SPECIFIC VERSUS COMMUNITY-WIDE REPORT CARDS - IS THERE A DIFFERENCE

This article describes Preliminary results from a natural experiment t hat tested the impact of report cards on employees. As part of the 199 5 enrollment process, some members of the State of Minnesota Employee Group Insurance Program received report cards on the plans offered to them, and others did not. Both groups of employees had a chance to rev iew a second community-wide report card covering all Minnesota plans t hat had been distributed by an independent organization through local newspapers. Both groups were surveyed before and after they made their health plan selections. We compare the likelihood of seeing, the inte nsity of reading, and the perceived helpfulness of the first, employer -specific report card with the second, community-wide report card for consumers who make plan selections.