New Perspectives on the Role of Information in Health Economics : Josef Eul Verlag Gmbh : 9783899368642 : 3899368649 : 24 Nov 2009 : Does managed care reduce the costs of medical care while leaving the quality of treatment at least unchanged? What instruments should be employed to prevent risk selection? How can medical decision making be based on more rational criteria? This book consists of three major studies, each addressing a specific question related to the current debate on reforms in the health care sector. Insurers offering managed care contracts have the right to deny coverage for treatment prescribed by an insured's physician. In the US, such practices have provoked a wave of criticism against managed care. The first study shows that monitoring physicians' decisions can generally raise the efficiency of health care provision. However, insurers tend to intervene too much in medical decision making, such that consumer welfare may also decline. If premium payments do not reflec