Self-reported Behavior and Attitudes of Enrolees in Capitated and Fee-for-service Dental Benefit Plans

One-liner: Drawing from the results of a survey submitted to respondents in fee-for-service and capitation plans, this book gauges how people rate their health care plans and their oral health.

Dental care is not immune to the wave of rising costs that has hit other sectors of the health care industry.

In an effort to contain those costs, insurance providers have increasingly turned to capitation plans (CAP), which shift the costs of care to the dentist, rather than fee-for-service plans (FFS), wherein costs are shifted to the patient.

How do the two types of plans differ in terms of their effect on patient behavior and perceived level of care?

This report gauges how people rate their plans and their oral health through a bivariate and multivariate analysis of the results of a survey submitted by 2,340 respondents - 57.7 percent of them in FFS plans and 42.3 in CAP plans.

The authors analyzed several variables, including income, out-of-pocket-costs, and demographic categories, that gave rise to significant differences in perceptions of oral health, satisfaction with plan, and satisfaction with dentist. The authors conclude by noting that a general dissatisfaction exists with CAP plans as compared to FFS plans. (DS)