Rising health care costs consumed one-fifth of the economic growth in the United States between 1980 and 1987, and increased at a rate much greater than that of inflation. One of the ways in which the country is seeking to control these costs is through health maintenance organizations. With their emphasis on prepayment for comprehensive medical care, and their use of risk-sharing with providers, they represent a distinct change from traditional fee-for-service medicine. This book examines the growth and development of HMOs over the past two decades, detailing the success that they have...