Choosing a personal physician is one of the most important decisions you will make after choosing a health plan. This doctor will usually coordinate your care, so it is important to know how easy the plan makes it for you to find a personal physician who is right for you. This question asked respondents how easy it was for them to choose a personal physician in their plan.

Plan to plan variation in satisfaction responses may be related to plans’ differing policies -- for instance, whether a woman is permitted to select an Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) doctor as her primary physician, or if a referral is needed to see her OB/GYN doctor.

While more than half of commercially-insured clients reported their health plan in this category as "very good", or "excellent", enrollees reported more problems connected with "ease of choosing a personal physician" than in most other areas. More than seventeen percent of respondents rated their health plan as "poor" or "fair" in this category.

By Individual HMO
Ease of choosing a personal physician		Five HMOs Combined