Medicare: Issues Concerning the HealthChoice Demonstration Project
Abstract
This report reviews a number of issues regarding Medicare and health maintenance organizations (HMOS). One of these issues concerned a Medicare demonstration project involving HealthChoice, Inc., a nonprofit company under contract with Medicare. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), which administers Medicare for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded HealthChoice contracts for two demonstration projects, effective September 1982 and September 1985. The projects were intended to (1) test the effect of educating Medicare beneficiaries on the HMO option by giving them comparative information on participating HMOS in their community and (2) ascertain the feasibility of using a broker as a marketing agent. As its funding authority, HCFA cited section 402(a) of the Social Security Amendments of 1967, which allows for experiments with alternative methods of paying for Medicare services.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA199344
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office