Growth of HMOs slows in Baltimore metro area. (health maintenance organizations)

The number of Baltimore-area residents enrolled in health maintenance organizations increased within the last year, but HMOs actually lost a bit in market penetration.

Those are the findings of a new study by a company that specializes in researching the health care industry. The study found that the percentage of the population enrolled in health maintenance organizations in the Baltimore area - and other large metropolitan areas nationally - fell slightly last year.

The market penetration of HMOs in the Baltimore area was 28.4 percent - 818,000 enrollees. The market number represents a 1.3 percent decline from 1995.

Since enrollment in HMOs actually …