Making Babies Healthier By Providing a Managed Care Option to California's Poor

41 Pages Posted: 23 Oct 2007

See all articles by Tania Barham

Tania Barham

University of Colorado at Boulder

Paul J. Gertler

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Kristiana Raube

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business

Date Written: May 1, 2003

Abstract

The first chapter investigates whether mandating a managed care option for California Medicaid beneficiaries improves access to prenatal care and birth outcomes in a traditionally fee-for-service system. We compare two competing models: one that only offers a county-organized health system option (COHS), and the Two Plan Model (TPC) that provides mothers with a choice between the county system and a commercial managed care organization. The results show that while COHS improved access, only the TPC program led to reductions in low-birth weight. The superior health outcomes obtained with TPC might be explained by higher quality care induced by competition among health providers and/or mainstreaming Medi-Cal beneficiaries into commercial organizations that also serve higher income populations.

Suggested Citation

Barham, Tania and Gertler, Paul J. and Raube, Kristiana, Making Babies Healthier By Providing a Managed Care Option to California's Poor (May 1, 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1023788 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1023788

Tania Barham (Contact Author)

University of Colorado at Boulder ( email )

1070 Edinboro Drive
Boulder, CO CO 80309
United States

Paul J. Gertler

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business ( email )

545 Student Services Building, #1900
2220 Piedmont Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
510-642-1418 (Phone)
510-642-4700 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Cambridge, MA 02138
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Kristiana Raube

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business ( email )

545 Student Services Building, #1900
2220 Piedmont Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
510-643-1399 (Phone)

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