Patient Satisfaction With Medicaid Managed Care-Reply

In Reply. —We undertook a population-based evaluation that was not limited to users. Unlike surveying only people who had obtained services, our approach was more likely to detect any problems that beneficiaries had in gaining access to services, a major policy concern regarding Medicaid managed care. Nonusers may have contacts with plans, and they may form opinions from attempts to obtain care and from family and friends. About half of the satisfaction dimensions, including office location and hours, could pertain to nonusers and affect access and use. Our design permitted us to assess the influence of use on the results. About 80% of respondents were users, with no significant difference between managed care and non—managed care. Self-reported use during the prior 6 months was