Managed care plans develop health care provider networks by entering into contracts with hospitals, physicians and other health care professionals to deliver health care cost effectively. The increasing focus on health care costs by employers, the government and consumers has led to the growth of alternatives to traditional indemnity health insurance in recent years. HMO, PPO, and hybrid plans, such as POS plans, incorporating features of each, are among the various forms of managed care products that have developed. Recently, there has been an influx of consumer-directed health plans, introduced in an effort to give the consumer more control of their health care. Tightly controlled health maintenance organizations have steadily lost ground over the last decade to preferred provider organizations, which offer greater choice of physicians and hospitals and direct access to specialists -- though at a higher price. One result of the changes in the market has been the continuing consolidation among managed care organizations. Knowledge Source's Managed Care Market Overview, 315 pages in length, includes the market's Overview and Trends, as well as profiles of 15 of the leading managed care organizations, which includes (when available): company background, company strategy, major Internet activities, financial and statistical information, product overview, and recent activities. | 
Healthcare Market Overviews