California Managed Care Review 2002

Publication Date: September 2002

Publisher: California HealthCare Foundation

Author(s): Allan Baumgarten

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

This annual study provides a comprehensive analysis of health plan, hospital, and physician group performance in California, including financial results, enrollment trends, market shares, and measures of utilization and effectiveness of care. Most Americans have access to health care through insurance that is provided by their employer or by government programs. But employers do not want to administer health benefit plans, so most of them turn to managed care companies with familiar names like Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, and PacifiCare to insure, organize, and administer those benefits. State Medicaid programs and the federal Medicare program also look to these health plan companies to administer health benefits for their beneficiaries. These organizations manage care and costs by creating incentives for enrollees to use certain providers or by establishing rules that limit access to certain kinds of care or providers. California is the state where managed care first put down broad roots and where, in 2002, most of the population had health insurance administered by a managed care organization. This report is intended to be a resource for understanding the organizations that administer and provide health care and health plans in the state. The report provides an objective analysis of managed care market trends, issues in the state, and comprehensive data on health care organizations that could be used by those who are involved in discussing and making health care policy. The complete report is available under Document Downloads. Other editions are also available through the links below.