Chronic illness and plan satisfaction under managed care

This DataWatch uses data from the 1993 Employee Health Care Value Survey (E HCVS) to compare the experiences of respondents with and without chronic il lnesses under managed care. After controlling for potential confounders, we found that chronic illness was associated with increased odds of dissatisf action in both independent practice association plans and prepaid group pra ctices, but not under fee-for-service coverage. Chronic illness appeared to exacerbate difficulties and to attenuate the benefits experienced by healt hy persons under managed care. We conclude that persons with chronic illnes ses may be at particular risk under managed care; their experiences may war rant particular attention when health plan performance is being monitored.