Within this paper we will be discussing many aspects of managed health care. That being said, before going ahead and getting into all discussed such as pros and cons, I would like to start this off by discussing what exactly managed health care is. Now let’s ask ourselves this question, what is managed health care? Managed health care is basically a system in which incorporates financial and delivery. This is basically a way for health care businesses to have somewhat of a control on such services. That being said there are many options that fall under such type of organization. In the United States, we have a private and competitive health insurance system which will cause managed care to continue to evolve. Competition and rising costs of health care have even led indemnity plans to incorporate elements of managed care, resulting in fewer "traditional" indemnity plans. There are several key elements common to all managed care arrangements: explicit standards for selecting providers; formal programs for ongoing quality improvement and utilization review; emphasis on keeping enrollees healthy to reduce use of services; financial incentives for enrollees to use providers and procedures associated with the plan. Managed care is a system that integrates the financing and delivery of appropriate health care using a comprehensive set of services. Managed care is a broad term which encompasses many types of organizations and insurance options including: health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which provide a wide range of services for a fixed, periodic prepayment; preferred provider organizations (PPOs), consisting of groups of hospitals, physicians and other providers who contract with an insurer, employer, third-party administrator or other group to provide health care services to covered persons; point-of-service plans (POSs), which combine HMO and PPO features,