Utilization of health care services among the near-elderly: a comparison of managed care and fee-for-service enrollees.

This article compares and contrasts the use of health care services among near-elderly adults (55-64 yr) across HMOs, PPOs, and fee-for-service (FFS) plans. Statistical tests are used to examine possible selection bias by type of plan [corrected] Multistage regression methods are implemented whenever the test results indicate the presence of selection bias. The findings show that compared with FFS plans, HMOs and PPOs are associated with a greater use of outpatient services and preventive services among adults in this age range. The rate of hospital admissions and the length of hospital stay are found to be similar across these types of plans.