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The effect on dental care utilization from transitioning pediatric Medicaid beneficiaries to managed care
Author(s) -
Nasseh Kamyar,
Bowblis John R.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.4496
Subject(s) - medicaid , managed care , reimbursement , dental care , business , medicaid managed care , accountability , fee for service , health care , medicine , family medicine , environmental health , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Abstract Compared to the fee‐for‐service (FFS) model, the managed care delivery system has the potential to improve health care management, increase provider accountability, and support better monitoring of health care quality. However, managed care organizations may attempt to control costs by curbing utilization among Medicaid beneficiaries or reducing reimbursement for Medicaid services. It is an empirical question whether managed care increases or decreases utilization of services. Using detailed pediatric public insurance dental claims data from 2016 through 2018, we examined whether the transition from FFS to managed care affects rates of dental care utilization. Between 2016 and 2018, Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska transitioned pediatric Medicaid beneficiaries from public dental fee‐for‐service programs to private managed care entities. Using an extended two‐way fixed‐effects estimation framework, we found that dental managed care leads to a decline in dental care utilization, especially when compared to states that maintain FFS provision of Medicaid dental services.