Medical care
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Managed care is the dominant form of health insurance in the United States, covering millions of children. Little is known about whether inner-city parents adequately understand managed care's complex definitions and rules. ⋯ Regardless of whether their children have managed care coverage, most inner-city parents interviewed in this study do not know what managed care is, have insufficient knowledge of managed care rules and practices, and believe that prior approval for emergency department visits for mild childhood illnesses is unnecessary. These findings indicate that many urban parents may need better, more comprehensible information about managed care, particularly those who are poor, Latino, and have limited English proficiency.