AHIP's Center for Insurance Education and Professional Development - Health Insurance Fundamentals
Skip NavigationHealth insurance education is evolving-and the AHIP Center for Insurance Education and Professional Development is changing to meet the training needs of busy professionals. Now with more content online, expanded course offerings-including the Academy of Healthcare Management's course content-the Center is where professionals go to learn the health insurance industry industry. The Center offers self-study classes, publications, workshops, virtual seminars, and designations covering such topics as anti-fraud, business operations, consumer-driven health care, customer service, disability insurance, employee benefits, health insurance fundamentals, HIPAA, long-term care, managed care and care management, Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap, supplemental insurance, underwriting, network management, health plan finance and risk management, governance and regulation, and more.
America's Health
Insurance Plans 		Health insurance education is evolving-and the AHIP Center for Insurance Education and Professional Development is changing to meet the training needs of busy professionals. Now with more content online, expanded course offerings-including the Academy of Healthcare Management's course content-the Center is where professionals go to learn the health insurance industry industry. The Center offers self-study classes, publications, workshops, virtual seminars, and designations covering such topics as anti-fraud, business operations, consumer-driven health care, customer service, disability insurance, employee benefits, health insurance fundamentals, HIPAA, long-term care, managed care and care management, Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap, supplemental insurance, underwriting, network management, health plan finance and risk management, governance and regulation, and more.

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:

Individual Medical Underwriting
With this publication, you'll learn about the processes involved in underwriting health, disability income, and long-term care insurance in the individual market. You'll also learn the key functions of individual medical underwriting as well as the skills necessary to be an effective underwriter.

What You'll Learn:

  • All about individual medical underwriting, how it works, and the important role it plays.
  • The differences and the similarities in underwriting health, disability, and long-term care coverage
  • The tools used by underwriters to review applicants' medical histories and assess risks
  • How health insurance plans organize the underwriting function

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

Course - Coming Soon
This publication will soon be used in tandem with the following course:

  • Individual Medical Underwriting

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:

The Center is changing to meet the needs of busy professionals like you. Now with more content online, expanded course offerings-including the Academy of Healthcare Management's course content-as well as other quick, convenient, and flexible ways to learn, the Center is where professionals go to learn the industry. The Center offers educational programs on such topics as anti-fraud, consumer-driven health care, disability insurance, employee benefits, health insurance fundamentals, HIPAA, long-term care, managed care and care management, Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap, supplemental insurance, underwriting health plan finance and risk management, governance and regulation, and more.

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