A study by researchers from UC Davis has concluded that changing health plans may be associated with adverse medical and financial effects, including a higher risk of not getting a mammogram, a higher risk of avoidable hospitalization, greater likelihood of visiting a physician and higher expenditures, especially for testing.

The study appeared in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine and was written by Peter Franks, professor of family and community medicine; Colin Cameron, UC Davis professor of economics, and Klea Bertakis, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

The researchers noted "recent economic pressures in the health insurance market have resulted in cycles of increased costs, reduced benefits and consumer dissatisfaction." These pressures are associated with disenrollment and frequent changes in health insurance. The authors stated that disenrollment can result in loss of continuity with a health-care provider and a patient-perceived drop in the quality of primary care.