United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-08-15 monographic deposited born digital 80 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-856 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856 P0b002ee180389a1f f:d05856 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856 GAO-05-856 Comparative analysis Cost analysis Health insurance Health insurance cost control Health maintenance organizations Hospitals Medicaid Medical fees Medical services rates Medicare Physicians Price regulation Prices and pricing Competition Economic analysis Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Other Written Product A32980 Congress is concerned about the health care spending burden facing the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the largest private health insurance program in the country. Health care spending per person varies geographically, and the underlying causes for the spending variation have not been fully explored. Understanding market forces and other factors that may influence health care spending may contribute to efforts to moderate health care spending. Health care spending varies across the country due to differences in its components, the utilization and price of health care services. A wide body of research describes extensive geographic variation in utilization. However, less is known about private sector geographic variation in prices. This report examined prices and spending in FEHBP Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) to determine (1) the extent to which hospital and physician prices varied geographically, (2) which factors were associated with geographic variation in hospital and physician prices, and (3) the extent to which hospital and physician price variation contributed to geographic variation in spending. We analyzed claims data from several large national PPOs participating in FEHBP. We used 2001 data, the most current data available at the time of the study. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856.pdf GAO-05-856 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-856 Other Written Product GAO-05-856; Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Competition and Other Factors Linked to Wide Variation in Health Care Prices; Comparative analysis Cost analysis Health insurance Health insurance cost control Health maintenance organizations Hospitals Medicaid Medical fees Medical services rates Medicare Physicians Price regulation Prices and pricing Competition Economic analysis Federal Employees Health Benefits Program