America's Health Insurance Plans

Publications - Health Insurance Fundamentals

The Health Insurance Primer: An Introduction to How Health Insurance Works

This is the place to start to master basic concepts and terminology of the health insurance industry. You’ll get a comprehensive overview of the business environment of insurance companies; learn about the various kinds of health insurance; and develop a working knowledge of how the insurance industry works, including contract provisions, underwriting, sales and marketing. This publication is essential for anyone who is new to the industry.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The definition of insurance and how it works
  • The major types of insurance, including medical expense, supplemental, long-term care, and disability coverage
  • Needs met by health insurance
  • The importance of the life and health insurance industry in the United States
  • Types of organizations
  • Advantages and disadvantages of flexible benefit plans
  • Contract provisions and underwriting of individual and group plans
  • Selling and marketing of insurance products
  • The role of reinsurance
  • Relevant terms and key concepts

Price
$40 AHIP Members; $50 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designations that you may be interested in pursuing:

The Health Insurance Primer Study Manual

This publication is recommended for anyone who wants to thoroughly master the material presented in The Health Insurance Primer: An Introduction to How Health Insurance Works. It is a valuable resource tool for those taking the examination for the course Fundamentals of Health Insurance, Part A (Basics of Health Insurance).

  • The definition of insurance and how it works
  • The major types of insurance, including medical expense, supplemental, long-term care, and disability coverage
  • Needs met by health insurance
  • The importance of the life and health insurance industry in the United States
  • Types of organizations
  • Advantages and disadvantages of flexible benefit plans
  • Contract provisions and underwriting of individual and group plans
  • Selling and marketing of insurance products
  • The role of reinsurance
  • Relevant terms and key concepts

Price
$15 AHIP Members; $15 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designations that you may be interested in pursuing:

Health Insurance Nuts and Bolts: An Introduction to Health Insurance Operations

Understanding health insurance operations is a must for anyone who wants to advance in the industry, and this publication is a survival guide. Get in on the ground floor with a thorough introduction to business basics, including issuance and installation of policies; policy renewal and changes; premium billing and payment; claims administration; pricing; and state and federal regulation of insurance.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The administration of group health insurance plans
  • Procedures for issuance and installation of policies
  • Policy renewal processes
  • Premium billing and payment
  • How to manage, submit, and process claims
  • How to control operational costs
  • How to promote cost-effective health care
  • The definition, detection, and prevention of health insurance fraud and abuse
  • Product pricing strategies
  • Insurance regulation, including roles of federal and state government
  • Relevant terms and key concepts

Price
$40 AHIP Members; $50 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designations that you may be interested in pursuing:

Health Insurance Nuts and Bolts Study Manual

This publication is recommended for anyone who wants to thoroughly master the material presented in Health Insurance Nuts and Bolts: An Introduction to Health Insurance Operations. It is a valuable resource tool for those taking the examination for the course Fundamentals of Health Insurance, Part B (Basics of Company Operations).

What You’ll Learn:

  • The administration of group health insurance plans
  • Procedures for issuance and installation of policies
  • Policy renewal processes
  • Premium billing and payment
  • How to manage, submit, and process claims
  • How to control operational costs
  • How to promote cost-effective health care
  • The definition, detection, and prevention of health insurance fraud and abuse
  • Product pricing strategies
  • Insurance regulation, including roles of federal and state government
  • Relevant terms and key concepts

Price
$15 AHIP Members; $15 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designations that you may be interested in pursuing:

Medical Expense Insurance

This publication addresses forms of insurance coverage that provide reimbursement for various medical care expenses, such as group major medical insurance and individual hospital-surgical insurance. You’ll learn about the process of marketing and selling, pricing, contract provisions, and underwriting, as well as policy and claims administration.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The descriptions of the two most common coverages in the United States—group major medical and individual hospital-surgical insurance
  • Policy administration
  • Underwriting and pricing procedures
  • Methods of selling and marketing
  • Claims administration
  • Relevant terms, industry issues, and key concepts

Price
$40 AHIP Members; $50 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designations that you may be interested in pursuing:

Medical Expense Insurance Study Manual

This publication is recommended for anyone who wants to thoroughly master the material presented in the publication Medical Expense Insurance. It is a valuable resource tool for those taking the examination for the course Medical Expense Insurance.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The descriptions of the two most common coverages in the United States—group major medical and individual hospital-surgical insurance
  • Policy administration
  • Underwriting and pricing procedures
  • Methods of selling and marketing
  • Claims administration
  • Relevant terms, industry issues, and key concepts

Price
$15 AHIP Members; $15 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designations that you may be interested in pursuing:

Supplemental Health Insurance

This publication examines the impact of the most recent Medigap legislation. You’ll explore in detail critical illness insurance, as well as the administration of supplemental coverage for vision, dental, hearing, specified disease and cancer, special risks, accidents, Medicare, and hospital services. You’ll also learn the latest on benefit plans to get a clearer perspective on what is likely to happen in the supplemental health insurance market in the future.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The facts and features of major supplemental products in the marketplace, including hospital indemnity coverage, specified disease insurance, Medicare supplements, accident coverage, dental plans, and prescription drug plans
  • The impact of the most recent legislation on Medigap
  • How to identify gaps in basic health insurance that create the need for additional coverage
  • How supplemental products protect individuals from financial risk
  • The administration of supplemental policies
  • Relevant terms, industry issues, and key concepts

Price
$40 AHIP Members; $50 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designation that you may be interested in pursuing:

Supplemental Health Insurance Study Manual

This publication is recommended for anyone who wants to thoroughly master the material presented in the publication Supplemental Health Insurance. It is a valuable resource tool for those taking the examination for the course Supplemental Health Insurance.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The facts and features of major supplemental products in the marketplace, including hospital indemnity coverage, specified disease insurance, Medicare supplements, accident coverage, dental plans, and prescription drug plans
  • The impact of the most recent legislation on Medigap
  • How to identify gaps in basic health insurance that create the need for additional coverage
  • How supplemental products protect individuals from financial risk
  • The administration of supplemental policies
  • Relevant terms, industry issues, and key concepts

Price
$40 AHIP Members; $50 Non-members
To purchase a publication, see the Center’s online catalog.

Related Publication

Course
This publication is used in tandem with the following course:

Earn a Designation
Center designation that you may be interested in pursuing: