To help Medicare beneficiaries and their intermediaries select the best health plan, CMS publicly reports comparative plan information. Using a laboratory version of Medicare Health Plan Compare that involved a simulated plan choice by 359 Medicare intermediaries, we experimentally investigated plan recommendations with and without disenrollment information and time constraints for viewing materials. Results indicated that the presence of disenrollment information reduced time spent on other measures of plan performance. It also reduced decision quality for less educated intermediaries. Designers and sponsors of consumer-oriented materials should recognize that more information is not ...

<0.05). Intermediaries' strong preference for high CAHPS[R]/HEDIS[R] plans persists, but their preference for low cost/benefit plans is no longer significant (p><0.05) and otherwise showed no preference (OR=0.96, p>

<$20,000   1 
$20,001-$40,000 9 
$40,001-$60,00020 
$60,001-$80,00023 
$80,001-$100,000   19><1 
Between Once a Year and Once a Week20 
Once a Day 30 
More than Once a Day   51 
 
Ever Used Internet to Find Health Information? 
Yes80 
No 20 
 
(1) N=359. 
 
SOURCE: Spranca, M., Elliott, M., Shaw, R., and Kanouse, D., RAND 
Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, 2001. 
 
Table 2 
Characteristics of the Medicare Beneficiaries, 
as Reported by the Medicare Intermediaries 
 
Characteristic Percent 
 
Sex (1) 
Female 51 
Male   24 
Unknown25 
 
Overall Health Status 
Excellent 3.9 
Very good12.4 
Good 28.4 
Fair 37.1 
Poor 18.3 
 
Medical Illnesses or Conditions 
High Blood Pressure  55.7 
Diabetes 22.3 
Alzheimer's Disease   8.1 
Stroke9.5 
Cancer   12.8 
Asthma8.9 
Heart Disease  22 
 
Length of Time on Medicare 
23 Months or Less 9.3 
2-5 Years  18 
6-10 Years   31.5>

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles: