Access and satisfaction within the disabled Medicare population

Little is known about variations in the lev-els of access and satisfaction within the dis-abled Medicare population. Based on the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), beneficiaries under 65 years of age were classified by original reason for disabil-ity (mental versus physical). Those with a mental disability were less likely to have a private physician as a usual source; were less satisfied with the overall quality of care, availability of after-hours care, followup care, and coordination of care; and were more likely to report unmet need, owing in large part to supply barriers. Implications for the current delivery system and for design of managed care programs are discussed