Medicaid beneficiaries' perceptions of access to and quality of care: Comparison of satisfaction between beneficiaries of managed care and traditional fee-for-service

The District of Columbia Medical Assistance Administration funded two Medicaid beneficiary satisfaction surveys that were administered by Abt Associates. Each survey was based on the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey (CAHPS). The first survey collected data via mail and telephone from 1197 beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans (response rate, 50%), while the second survey is currently being fielded to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid enrollees and is expected to compile at least 250 beneficiary responses. Survey questions analyzed in this presentation include service utilization; health plan customer service; doctor-patient communication; and health plan, health care and provider satisfaction ratings. Multivariate analyses are used to identify factors influencing satisfaction (e.g., age, health status, plan membership, etc).

The data are analyzed to highlight the relative strengths of Medicaid managed care versus Medicaid FFS, including service delivery, access to care, and quality of care. These relative strengths, as highlighted from the beneficiary perspective, should be considered when policy decisions are made that affect the availability of choice or influence beneficiaries to choose one model of care over another.