title: Government-sponsored reinsurance.
abstract: Many measures to reform health insurance markets include various types of government-sponsored reinsurance. This article explains the purposes and types of private and public reinsurance, and reviews available evidence about their performance. The author concludes that government-sponsored reinsurance inherently cannot reduce total costs, but it can shift costs from the private to the public sector. Also, reinsurance can help transition to a new government program or market structure that creates uncertain risks. Whether reinsurance is the best way to accomplish these goals depends greatly on the details.
authors: Wake Forest University, USA.
authors: Mark A
authors: MA
authors: Hall
mesh_terms: D005380:Financing, Government; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States