Number of HMO participants in Missouri declining

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A new study shows the number of Missourians participating in managed health care programs declined last year while the amount of premiums they paid rose.

The Missouri Department of Insurance released its 2008 Health Maintenance Organization Annual Report on Monday.

The report said slightly fewer than 2 million people were enrolled in an HMO or another major medical health insurance plan last year. That's an 11 percent increase from 2004 but 9 percent lower than in 2007.

In the meantime, the total premiums paid into those plans continued to increase. The report said Missourians paid almost $7 billion in premiums in 2008, 6 percent more than in 2007 and 32 percent more than in 2004.