Choice matters: enrollees' views of their health plans

Enrollees' views of their health plans and physicians are important measures of the performance of the health care system. The Commonwealth Fund's 1994 survey of 3,000 adults in fee-for-service and managed care organizations documents enrollees' experiences with choosing a plan and satisfaction with that plan. Fee-for-service enrollees were more satisfied with their plan's access to and quality of care; managed care enrollees were more satisfied with their plan's cost, paperwork, and coverage of preventive care. The survey also found a high rate of involuntary plan changing, limited choice of physicians, and low levels of satisfaction among low-income managed care enrollees.