Health Law & Policy Institute

Choosing a Health Care Plan

Introduction

This self-help and resource guide is intended to assist people with cancer, cancer survivors, and others concerned with cancer coverage to better understand and choose a health care plan.  The guide addresses the types of health plans, questions to ask when considering a plan, evaluating the quality of health plans, obtaining insurance coverage, and choosing a physician, together with a list of references and additional resources.

The information is current through August 1998.  However, please note that health law and government policy change rapidly in this area.  Also, the guide is not intended to offer individual legal advice, since application of the law to particular facts is beyond the scope of any publication.

The Health Law & Policy Institute at the University of Houston prepared this guide under the direction of the Texas Cancer Council's Managed Care Steering Committee, with funding provided by the council.  The committee was created in FY 1997 to identify program and policy initiatives that should be supported by the council to enhance the availability of cancer prevention and control services in a managed care environment.

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