opt for cheaper health plans (Gold, 1999, p. 6).
Simultaneously, traditional solo physician practice has evolved towards the Salaried and Group Practice. During the period from 1988 to 1996, the number of salaried physicians increased from 28 percent to 48 percent in the US. For most of the physicians, the common causes of changing to group practice, were the expanded markets, the increased quality of care and greater access to capital (Gold, 1999, p. 11). In such a network, fewer physicians are involuntarily eliminated (Gold, 1999, p. 12). It is uncertain how this fact affects the quality of care for patients. Nonetheless, most physicians claimed that they were able to secure high quality care and obtain necessary referrals to specialists easily within the network. Still, these results differ from survey to survey. In another national survey, only a quarter of the physicians was very satisfied with the changes in their practice (Gold, 1999, p. 170).
According to the most recent estimate done by the Employee Benef
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