HMO Enrollment Down in South Carolina

The number of South Carolinians enrolled in HMOs fell by nearly 64,000 last year to its lowest point in nearly a decade, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.

Cigna had 150,000 members in 1996; that number fell to 39,809 in 2003. Carolina Care Plan’s enrollment went from 89,698 in 2002 to 70,108 in 2003.

Jane Dubose of the publishing company HealthLeaders says that South Carolina is not alone. “HMO market share has plummeted more or less everywhere, with few exceptions,” she says.