[Managed care--chances for health care in Germany?]

The incentives offered by the German health insurance make it rational for doctors and patients to adopt uneconomical attitudes that militate against the objective of providing economical health care tailored to individual needs. Managed care systems are a means of correcting this undesirable state of affairs. Implementation of managed care in Germany would however, appear to make good sense only when it is offered as a competitive alternative that guarantees the freedom of action and choice of all those involved.