Conventional health insurance: a decade later

In this article, the 1987 conventional health plans are examined and 1987 group health insurance is compared with that of 1977. The source of information for 1987 is the national survey of 771 private and public employers conducted by the Health Insurance Association of America. Data for 1977 are from the National Medical Care Expenditures Survey. Findings show that conventional health plans' share of the group market declined from 95 to 73 percent during the decade; the majority of Americans covered by conventional group insurance are now enrolled in a plan that self-insures; prospective utilization review grew dramatically after 1984; and patient cost sharing increased, but not as significantly as conventional wisdom holds.