The privatization of health care and physicians' perceptions of access to hospital services.

Health care in the United States is increasingly delivered by for-profit providers, by multi-facility corporations, and under conditions of price-based competition. The joint influence of these three trends is examined through data drawn from a 1984 survey of physicians conducted by the American Medical Association. For-profit ownership and price competition are reported to restrict admission for the poor and uninsured; the effects of system affiliation are shown to be more complex. Policy responses to future restrictions on access are discussed.