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 2005-12-02 monographic deposited born digital 9 p. GA 1.13:GAO-06-281T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T P0b002ee1803720cb f:d06281t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T GAO-06-281T Comparative analysis Competition Cost analysis Economic analysis Health insurance Health insurance cost control Health maintenance organizations Hospitals Medical fees Medical services rates Physicians Price regulation Prices and pricing Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Testimony A42517 Differences in utilization of health care services across the country have been well documented, but less has been reported on geographic variation in price. As health care spending is the product of utilization and price, information on health care prices and factors contributing to price differences provides an additional perspective on drivers of health care spending. In an August 2005 report, GAO examined claims data on enrollees of preferred provider organizations (PPO) participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and found substantial price variation across metropolitan areas, after adjusting prices to account for area differences in the cost of providing services and in the types of services provided. This statement is based on GAO's August 2005 report entitled Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Competition and Other Factors Linked to Wide Variation in Health Care Prices (GAO-05-856). It focuses on (1) factors that underlie area differences in price and (2) the contribution of price to geographic differences in spending on health care. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T.pdf GAO-06-281T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-281T Testimony GAO-06-281T; Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Differences in Health Care Prices Across Metropolitan Areas Linked to Competition and Other Factors; Comparative analysis Competition Cost analysis Economic analysis Health insurance Health insurance cost control Health maintenance organizations Hospitals Medical fees Medical services rates Physicians Price regulation Prices and pricing Federal Employees Health Benefits Program