[Focus on managed care. Organizational structure: sequelae for patients and physicians].

Since the early 1990s managed care has become the dominating form of health insurance in the US. Managed care's success in cutting costs is paralleled by increasing public criticism. The current status of managed care and its future potential are discussed with a focus on the recent development of managed care and its organizational components. With regard to quality of care, cost and public opinion, managed care is discussed from the perspective of patients and physicians.