Defined contribution defined: health insurance for the next century

The consumerism movement will dramatically affect the current payer model and present a new series of challenges for managed care organizations. Employers will fuel the changes, as they create health benefit programs that are modeled after retirement programs. In these cases, employers will shift a major portion of financial responsibility to employees, who will be asked to make buying decisions often previously determined by managed care organizations. New business entities known as health navigators will be formed to aid consumers. However, many structural and policy obstacles may slow or transform the consumerism movement.