Arizona Medicaid: Competition Among Managed Care Plans Lowers Program Costs

Because of Arizona’s experience in implementing a statewide managed care program, the United States General Accounting Office reviewed Arizona’s Medicaid program and, specifically, to discuss (1) the program’s cost containment experience,(2) the role of health plan competition in the program’s cost containment success, (3) the effect of cost containment on beneficiary access to appropriate care, and (4) lessons about Arizona’s cost containment success that could apply to other states' Medicaid program