In the past decade, the health insurance marketplace has changed dramatically. Indemnity insurance provided an almost unrestricted choice of physicians and hospitals. It has been replaced by managed care. Journalists reporting the rapidly changing managed care story cannot do it justice unless they understand how to cover health care plans as businesses. In this NewsBackgrounder, James Bentley of The American Hospital Association outlines the main points of a seminar he gave at a FACS conference on managed care. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of FACS or the American Hospital Association.
Managed care insurance is a highly competitive business. Developed …