HSC's RESEARCH AGENDA
As of August 2001
SC’s research focuses on three key policy areas:
- private insurance coverage
- access to care for the uninsured
- managed care and markets
Each of these policy areas is described in more detail in the HSC 2000 Annual Report.
PUBLISHED RESEARCH: Abstracts of journal articles and the complete texts of HSC publications using Rounds 1 and 2 of the CTS survey data can be viewed on this website under Publications.
PROJECTS UNDERWAY: Recently completed, ongoing, and planned HSC analyses using CTS survey data include the following topics:
- Private Insurance Coverage
- Why is private health insurance eroding?
- What factors affect small firms’ decisions to offer health insurance?
- What has been the effect of HIPAA legislation on rates of private insurance coverage?
- How have recent expansions of public insurance eligibility affected insurance coverage among low-income and low-wage workers?
- Will expansions in public coverage be successful in reducing the high rates of children’s uninsurance in some communities?
- Did SCHIP decrease private insurance coverage among low-income families?
- How effective would tax credits be in expanding coverage if offered through employers or in the individual insurance market?
- How does insurance coverage differ for the chronically ill?
- How and why do health insurance premiums vary across local markets?
- Access to Care for the Uninsured
- Is access to needed medical care getting better or worse?
- Care vs. coverage: Which is more effective in improving access to care for low income and uninsured persons?
- Has physicians’ provision of charity care been affected by changes in practice arrangements?
- How do minority physicians differ from white physicians in terms of their ability to get needed services for patients?
- Are the disparities in access, service use, and trust among minorities and whites observed in managed care plans greater than those disparities observed in other plans?
- What are the effects of insurance coverage and availability of services on racial and ethnic disparities in access, service use, and trust?
- Managed Care and Markets
- Are HMO enrollees healthier?
- Does HMO profit status affect enrollees’ access to care and assessments of care?
- Are consumers with choice of health plans more satisfied with care in HMOs?
- How do insurance product features such as gatekeeping and capitation affect consumers’ access, service use, and satisfaction?
- Does the type and amount of managed care in a market affect service use?
- How does access and continuity of care for chronically ill patients compare across different types of health plans?
- How has the use of managed care tools in physicians’ practices been changing?
- How have physician practice arrangements been changing?
- How often are quality and other performance based measures used to determine physician compensation?
- What are the determinants of physicians’ ability to obtain needed services for their patients?
- What factors influence primary care physicians’ ability to obtain mental health services for their patients?
- Does the use of physician profiling, either with or without financial incentives, influence physicians’ perceptions of the quality of care they deliver or their ability to obtain needed services?
- What factors explain variations in physicians’ practice patterns (vignettes)?
- Is physician satisfaction changing over time and what factors contribute to these changes?