Going the Extra Mile? How Provider Network Design Increases Consumer Travel Distance, Particularly for Rural...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Access
• Health Insurance Networks

Background:

• Health insurance plan accessibility is determined by provider network size and travel distances.
• Long travel distances can limit provider choice and access to medical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess travel distances to cardiac surgeons and pediatricians for different health insurance plans.
• To compare travel distances for standard and higher-quality providers within these plans.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of mean and median travel distances for plan participants.
• Comparison between Covered California, comparable commercial, and open-network plans.
• Evaluation of access to higher-quality providers.

Main Results:

• Covered California plan subscribers, particularly in rural areas, face longer travel distances than those in commercial plans.
• Consumers in both Covered California and commercial plans travel significantly farther than those in open-network plans.
• Slightly greater travel distances were observed for higher-quality providers, with minor differences between ACA and commercial plans.

Conclusions:

• Network design influences travel distances, posing challenges for transportation-disadvantaged populations.
• Travel distance is a critical factor for health outcomes and healthcare costs.
• Current measures of network adequacy may need refinement to incorporate travel distance.