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Managed care plans are health insurance plans that contract with health care providers and medical facilities to provide care for members at reduced costs. These providers make up the plan's network. How much of your care the plan will pay for depends on the network's rules.
Restrictive plans generally cost you less. More flexible plans cost more. There are three types of managed care plans:
'''Managed care''' is a concept in United States health care which rose to dominance during the presidency of Ronald Reagan as a means to control Medicare payouts. As a major Medicare claims administrator, the Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance firm was a major architect of managed care. It spread fairly quickly to the health insurance industry in the private sector. Managed care is based on a effort to control escalating health care costs by the health insurance industry, which supposedly defines a reasonable maximum fee which health care providers may charge for any given service. Providers are ostensibly bound to accept these maximum fees if they wish to be listed in directories of specific insurance companies, which are provided to their policy holders as referral directories of "approved" physicians. An unsupported assumption inherent in these "directories", is that the policy holder is receiving a list of fully reliable, experienced and competent physicians whose agreement to accept limits on their fees indicates highly altruistic natures. There are several forms of managed care. Ranging from the more restrictive to the least, they include: *Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs): Proposed in the 1960s by Dr. Paul Elwood in the "Health Maintenance Strategy", the HMO concept was promoted by the Richard M. Nixon as a fix to rising health care costs and set in law as PL 93-222. As defined in the act, a federally qualified HMO would in exchange for a subscriber fee (premium) allow members acess to panel of employed medical doctor or a network of doctors and facilities including hospitals. In return the HMO received mandated market access and could receive federal development funds. In practice, an HMO is an insurance plan under which an insurance company controls all aspects of the health care of the insured. In the design of the plan, each member is assigned as "gatekeeper", ... [ Read More ]
BBC News: Beatle's Attacker "Was Failed" - Health managers apologize to George Harrison over failures in the care of the mentally ill man who attacked him.
Half Halt Press, Inc - Publisher of books on dressage, eventing, horse care, management, jumping, jump design and construction, natural approaches to care and the Threshold Picture Guides.
Willowgreen - Creates, markets and distributes books, videotapes and audio tapes in the areas of loss, grief, illness, dying, care giving, managing transition, older age, and spirituality.
The Saga of the Kidney Stone Kid - One man's traumatic experiences with the health care system and how he has managed to survive numerous goofs and gaffes. By Chris Mitsoff.
Diabetes in the New Millenium - This guide contains the latest on diabetes care and management, as well as information on the most recent advances in research and technology. A practical book for the consultant physician, the researcher, and the nurse educator.
Russell House Publishing - Online bookstore featuring community work, families and fostering, residential care, management and related topics.
Brown-Spath and Associates - A leading publisher of high quality health care training resources since 1981. Topics include quality management, outcomes management, sentinel event investigation, and patient safety improvement.
G Cats - A relational cattery database for managing pedigrees, health care, expenses, nests planning and shows. PC only.
Curatronic Ltd. - Magnetic field therapy equipment for home care and clinical therapy including pain management and energy regulation systems, with product specifications and scientific information.
4 Women's Health - Online source of women's products in the areas of weight management, anti-aging, body shaping, and outer body care.