Consumer Choice is a Fallacy
Many healthcare professionals believe consumer-driven healthcare is imminent due to the well-publicized push for increased access and better choice in health plans in the media. But a recent survey conducted by Strategic Health Perspectives, a joint consulting service comprised of Louis Harris & Associates, the Harvard School of Public Health, London & Associates and futurist Ian Morrison, found that Americans have a long way to go before they have real consumer choice in healthcare. For instance:
- Only 34 percent of Americans covered by employer-sponsored health plans believe they have a choice.
- The majority of employees are only offered one health plan (36 percent) or feel that the plans they do have to choose from are essentially the same (22 percent).
The survey is based on responses from 2,000 adults nationwide. (Louis Harris & Associates, Katherine Binns, 212/539-9600)
Prostate Cancer Testing Is Confusing
Men are getting mixed messages about the need to be tested for prostate cancer amid the debate over the pros and cons of screening those without symptoms. Experts suggest educational programs that provide objective information on the risks of prostate cancer, particularly for those with a family history of the disease.
A prostate cancer detection study of 126 men at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center sought to understand what motivates men to be screened. It found that men with a family history of prostate cancer perceive their risk to be higher than those without a family history.
Screening is somewhat controversial because it has not been shown that early diagnosis and treatment of the cancer reduces death rates.
The study, conducted by the Georgetown University Medical Center, indicates that:
- Men need more education about screening so they can make better-informed decisions about testing.
- Until the screening debate is resolved, which may be 10 to 15 years from now when the National Cancer Institute completes its screening trials on prostate cancer, men will be forced to sift through conflicting information and come to their own conclusions about whether to get screened.
The American Cancer Society recommends that men age 50 and older talk with their doctor about getting an annual screening test and advises that men at high risk, including African Americans and those with a family history, get screened at an earlier age. (Georgetown University Medical Center,202/687-4909)
HMOs Respond to Demand With More Alternative Coverage
There is a growing willingness among HMOs to cover complementary alternative medicine (CAM) in an effort to meet increasing consumer demand for these treatments, according to a study released earlier this month by Landmark Healthcare in Sacramento, Calif.
The most common alternative treatments HMOs cover are chiropractic care (65 percent) and acupuncture (31 percent). Two-thirds of the nation's HMOs offer at least one form of alternative care.
The study of 449 HMOs, conducted by National Market Measures, identifies motivations for CAM coverage:
- HMOs maintain varied beliefs on how alternative care affects the bottom line: 30 percent believe these benefits "net evenly," 21 percent believe they produce savings and 49 percent believe they add to total costs.
- The most popular services associated with alternative care include acupuncture (97 percent), herbal therapy (96 percent), acupressure (89 percent) and massage therapy (88 percent).
- Chiropractic care is becoming more mainstream, with 57 percent of HMOs associating it with alternative care and 43 percent considering it standard care.
(Landmark Healthcare, Jana Saastad, 916/569-3326)