Popularity of bike riding keeps rolling along
The activity of bicycling surged in popularity in 1991 as the number of adult riders increased by 7.5 million, an almost 5 percent jumped from the previous year. This puts the total number of adult cyclists at over 82 million accord¬ing to the second annual Louis Harris poll conducted for Bicycling magazine.
The nationwide poll of adults, taken last December, shows that 46 percent rode a bicycle in 1991, up from 42.8 percent in the previous year's poll. The survey was based on 1,255 phone interviews with adults in selected household throughoutthe continental United States. Recreation was cited as the most popular use of a bicycle by 82 percent of riders; 65 percent said they used a bike for fitness. The bicycle is also being used by some as a utilitarian vehicle, as 15 percent say they used their bicycle for shopping or other errands and 7 percent say they used it for commuting to work.
"An almost 5 percent increase in one year is quite a jump, especially when you consider the poll does not include children. Perhaps more significant is that recreation is the main reason adults ride," says James C. "Chuck" McCullagh, editor and publisher of Bicycling. "The fact that adults are redis-covering the pure fun of it, with a work-out as the by-product, is making cycling the fastest-growing fitness activity of the '90s."
Survey gathers managed care exec views on health policy
While more than half of managed care executives surveyed in a national poll sponsored by Novalis Corporation believe that the federal government should set policy for reform of the U.S. health care system, three-quarters of them would prefer to see national policy implemented by the states or the private sector. More than forty percent believe that reform would be best achieved by the private sector without any federal or state mandates. Albany, NY-based Novalis Corporation is an integrator of technologies for health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and insurers.
Concerning reform of the U.S. health care system:
- Almost every managed care executive surveyed supports medical malpractice law reform.
- Eight of ten support mandatory OT employer-sponsored health care coverage.
- Eight of ten support tax credits for taxpayers who purchase health insurance
- Six in ten oppose regional or natioonal health care spending caps.
- Nine in ten oppose a Canadian style health care system.
- All oppose a British style system.
- No single reform was cited by a majority of respondents as being the "best" to control health care costs.
Managed health care, which includes HMOs and PPOs, has attracted considerable national attention as a potential cost containment feature of any national health plan that is adopted. (The Bush administration's plan, for example, is expected to include incentives for those who enroll in HMOs.) Managed care organizations offer comprehensive health care programs that encourage appropriate use of services in the most cost effective setting.
The telephone survey of managed care executives was conducted by Fact Finders, Inc., Albany, NY, using a representative sample of subscribers of the managed care trade journal, Health Market Survey. Respondents included mid- to upper-level executives from HMOs, major health insurers and preferred provider organizations, and representatives of associated managed care businesses including employee benefit advisors, financial analysts, and managed care contractors.
Managed care executives most frequently cited as likely to be incorporated into government health care policies physician "gatekeepers" who control patient access to health care, "utilization review" of health care services, and selection of "preferred provider" networks. However, no single feature of managed care systems was cited by a majority as "most likely" to be incorporated.
"By and large, the attitudes of managed care executives reflect a very cautious approach to health care reform and managed care's role in it," says James M. Ste wart, the Novalis vice president for industry relations and research. "Only two in ten said they were 'very confident' that managed care will be able to control health care costs without rationing of services or some government involvement."
The nation's HMOs currently enroll about 15 percent of the U.S. population, more than 35 million people. Managed care executives predicted that this number will nearly double by 1995. In addition, four in ten executives said that point-of-service plans are the products with the greatest growth potential in the decade ahead. Point-of-service plans permit enrollees to use out-of-plan services in exchange for sharing more of the cost through deductibles and coinsurance.
Mortgage survey uncovers racial bias
Bank service representatives often show subtle forms of racial discrimination in their treatment of minority prospective mortgage applicants compared to white consumers with similar financial profiles, according to a survey conducted by Barry Leeds & Associates Inc., a financial marketing research firm headquartered in New York City.
The Mortgage Preapplication Bias Survey shows a consistent pattern of discrimination, despite the bank's mortgage lending policy. Subtle levels of discrimination are found in bank representatives' tendency to provide less complete explanations of mortgage products and less mention of mortgage characteristics, and to show less interest in helping minority consumers than whites.
"The implications for banks of these findings are tremendous," says Steve Roth, president of Barry Leeds & Associates. "The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data released by the Federal Reserve last fall found racial discrimination in banks' mortgage lending, based on rejection rates of whites and minorities. Our research indicates consistent preapplication bias toward minority consumers."
The survey analyzed 100 shopping "visits" to 50 different bank branches in non-minority, middle-income neighborhoods. Each branch was visited separately by a white and a minority "shopper" with similar profiles, acting as a first-time home buyer and inquiring about a conventional fixed-rate mortgage. "Each shopper had the right profile for a mortgage," Roth says.
The "shoppers" actually were highly trained, professional market research interviewers, acting as prospective mortgage customers.
Among the key findings:
- Overall service satisfaction was substantially lower among minority mortgage shoppers compared with their white counterparts (28 percent versus 48 percent). Minorities were more likely than whites to encounter bank mortgage representatives speaking on the telephone or busy with other staff while they were waiting. In addition, some minority shoppers commented that the bank representative did not appear to be interested in their business, that they were kept waiting too long, or that the representative was late for their appointment and was not personable or friendly.
- Among white shoppers, 80 percent felt the explanation of mortgage choices provided was "clear and careful," while only 50 percent of minorities expressed the same feeling.
- Bank representatives were least likely to explain the differences among types of mortgages to minority shoppers and most likely to do so for whites. Whites were also more likely to receive information on alternatives to the conventional fixed-rate mortgage.
- Bank representatives made a more active effort with white shoppers to recommend a specific type of mortgage and mentioned some mortgage characteristics to them.
- White shoppers experienced the briefest waiting time for service. The longest waits were experienced by black shoppers.
- Bank representatives spent a similar amount of time with white shoppers, regardless of income level. Among minority shoppers, however, representatives spent a greater amount of time if the shopper indicated a higher income level, specifically, over $85,000.
- Minorities were quoted a slightly longer approval time than whites.