Private Health Insurance and Managed Care

1. What is insurance, and why is it used? 2. How does private health insurance violate the standard principles of insurance? 3. Describe the three methods for categorizing health insurance in the United States. 4. Briefly describe the differences among commercial insurance industry, the Blues, and HMOs. 5. What is managed care? List the main objectives of managed care. 6. Briefly describe PPO and HMO plans. 7. List the common managed-care practices designed to influence physician behavior. 8. Describe the role of the gatekeeper. 9. Describe the impact of managed care on both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 10. Discuss the conflict of interest inherent in managed care. 11. Briefly describe the characteristics of the uninsured population in the United States.