The New Health Insurance Solution: How To Get Cheaper, Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan.

Navigation: Main page

Author: Schneider, Janet M.1

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Pilzer, Paul Zane.
The New Health Insurance Solution: How To Get Cheaper,
Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan.
Wiley. Oct. 2005. c.327p. index.
ISBN 0-471-74715-7. $24.95. HEALTH

Forty-five million Americans are without health insurance, mostly because they are unable to obtain it through employment and earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Economist Pilzer (Other People's Money) asserts that most people-even those with coverage-would be better off buying their own policies than relying on their employers. He provides an overview of the health insurance industry and explains why coverage is so expensive for both employers and individuals. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), indemnity plans, Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPOs), flexible savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts, state-guaranteed subsidized insurance, Medicaid, and medical discount cards are all defined with their advantages and disadvantages. Suggestions for choosing appropriate health insurance, including what to look for in a policy, are outlined; tips for maximizing benefits, especially in purchasing prescription drugs, are helpful. Chapters aimed specifically at employers address finding decent insurance for workers. Pilzer explains an incredibly complex subject well for the committed reader. Recommended.

~~~~~~~~

By Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans' Hosp. Lib., Tampa