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Health Plan Finance and Risk Management Question and Answers

Health Plan Finance and Risk Management

Last Update Oct 15, 2025
Total Questions : 215

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Questions 1

The methods of alternative funding for health coverage can be divided into the following general categories:

  • Category A—Those methods that primarily modify traditional fully insured group insurance contracts
  • Category B—Those methods that have either partial or total self funding

Typically, small employers are able to use some of the alternative funding methods in

Options:

A.  

Both Category A and Category B

B.  

Category A only

C.  

Category B only

D.  

Neither Category A nor Category B

Discussion 0
Questions 2

This concept, which holds that a company should record the amounts associated with its business transactions in monetary terms, assumes that the value of money is stable over time. This concept provides objectivity and reliability, although its relevance may fluctuate.

From the following answer choices, choose the name of the accounting concept that matches the description.

Options:

A.  

Measuring-unit concept

B.  

Full-disclosure concept

C.  

Cost concept

D.  

Time-period concept

Discussion 0
Questions 3

With regard to capitation arrangements for hospitals, it can correctly be Back to Top stated that

Options:

A.  

The most common reimbursement method for hospitals is professional services capitation

B.  

Most jurisdictions prohibit hospitals and physicians from joining together to receive global capitations that cover institutional services provided by the hospitals

C.  

Ahealth plan typically can capitate a hospital for outpatient laboratory and X-ray services only if the health plan also capitates the hospital for inpatient care

D.  

Many hospitals have formed physician hospital organizations (PHOs), hospital systems, or integrated delivery systems (IDSs) that can accept global capitation payments from health plans

Discussion 0
Questions 4

With regard to a health plan's underwriting of groups, it can correctly be stated that, generally, a

Options:

A.  

Health plan will require that contributory healthcare plans have a participation level of between 50% and 70%

B.  

Health plan will decline to cover a group that has been formed for the sole purpose of obtaining healthcare coverage

C.  

Health plan's underwriters will not examine the age spread of the entire group being underwritten

D.  

Health plan would expect a group with a large proportion of young females to have lower healthcare costs than does a similar group with a large proportion of young males

Discussion 0
Questions 5

This concept, which is an extension of the going-concern concept, holds that the value of an asset that a company reports in its accounting records should be the asset's historical cost, not its current market value. Although this concept offers objectivity and reliability, it may lack relevance, particularly for assets held for a long period of time.

From the following answer choices, choose the name of the accounting concept that matches the description.

Options:

A.  

Measuring-unit concept

B.  

Full-disclosure concept

C.  

Cost concept

D.  

Time-period concept

Discussion 0
Questions 6

Under the alternative funding method used by the Flair Company, Flair assumes financial responsibility for paying claims up to a specified level and deposits the funds necessary to pay these claims into a bank account that belongs to Flair. However, an insurer, which acts as an agent of Flair, makes the actual payment of claims from this account. When claims exceed the specified level, the insurer pays the balance from its own funds. No state premium tax is levied on the amounts that Flair deposits into this bank account.

From the following answer choices, choose the name of the alternative funding method described.

Options:

A.  

Retrospective-rating arrangement

B.  

Premium-delay arrangement

C.  

Reserve-reduction arrangement

D.  

Minimum-premium plan

Discussion 0
Questions 7

One true statement about cash-basis accounting is that

Options:

A.  

Cash receipt, but not cash disbursement, is an important component of cash-basis accounting

B.  

Most companies use a pure cash-basis accounting system

C.  

Cash-basis accounting records revenue according to the realization principle and expenses according to the matching principle

D.  

Health insurance companies and health plans that fall under the jurisdiction of state insurance commissioners must report some items on a cash basis for statutory reporting purposes

Discussion 0
Questions 8

In order to show the efficiency of a health plan's managers in using the health plan's investments to earn a return for stockholders, a financial analyst most likely would use a type of profitability ratio known as

Options:

A.  

A net gain-to-total income ratio

B.  

An insurance leverage ratio

C.  

A statutory return on assets (ROA) ratio

D.  

A gross profit ratio

Discussion 0
Questions 9

The Column health plan is in the process of developing a strategic plan.

The following statements are about this strategic plan. Three of the statements are true, and one statement is false. Select the answer choice containing the FALSE statement.

Options:

A.  

Human resources most likely will be a critical component of Column's strategic plan because, in health plan markets, the size and the quality of a health plan's provider network is often more important to customers than are the details of a product's benefit design.

B.  

Column's strategic plan should only address how the health plan will differentiate its products, rather than where and how it will sell these products.

C.  

Column most likely will need to develop contingency plans to address the need to make adjustments to its original strategic plan.

D.  

Column's information technology (IT) strategy most likely will be a critical element in successfully implementing the health plan's strategic plan.

Discussion 0
Questions 10

The following statements are about a health plan's evaluation of its responsibility centers. Select the answer choice containing the correct statement.

Options:

A.  

When analyzing budget variances, a health plan's management should pay attention to unfavorable variances only.

B.  

A health plan can reduce the problem of unattainable goals by involving responsibility managers in the preparation of their centers' budgets.

C.  

One reason that a health plan would use cost-based transfer prices to evaluate the performance of its profit centers and investment centers is because, under this method of setting transfer prices, the selling center has maximum incentive to operate effectively and control costs.

D.  

In responsibility accounting, all employees who have any influence over a health plan's department are held equally accountable for the operations and financial outcomes of that department.

Discussion 0
Questions 11

The Proform Health Plan uses agents to market its small group business. Proform capitalizes the commission expense relating to this line of business by spreading the commissions over the premium-paying period of the healthcare coverage. This approach to expense recognition is known as:

Options:

A.  

Systematic and rational allocation

B.  

Matching principle

C.  

Immediate recognition

D.  

Associating cause and effect

Discussion 0
Questions 12

The Arista Health Plan is evaluating the following four groups that have applied for group healthcare coverage:

  • The Blaise Company, a large private employer
  • The Colton County Department of Human Services (DHS)
  • A multiple-employer group comprised of four companies
  • The Professional Society of Daycare Providers

With respect to the relative degree of risk to Arista represented by these four companies, the company that would most likely expose Arista to the lowest risk is the:

Options:

A.  

Blaise Company

B.  

Colton County DHS

C.  

Multiple-employer group

D.  

Professional Society of Daycare Providers

Discussion 0
Questions 13

One way that the Medicare and Medicaid programs differ is that under Medicare, a smaller proportion of provider reimbursement goes to the primary care providers and a greater proportion of the reimbursement goes to hospitals and specialists.

Options:

A.  

True

B.  

False

Discussion 0
Questions 14

The process of converting the present value of a specified amount of money to its future value is known as

Options:

A.  

Capital budgeting

B.  

Compounding

C.  

Capital rationing

D.  

Discounting

Discussion 0
Questions 15

Mandated benefit laws are state or federal laws that require health plans to arrange for the financing and delivery of particular benefits. Ways that mandated benefits have the potential to influence health plans include:

1. Causing a lower degree of uniformity among health plans of competing health plans in a given market

2. Increasing the cost of the benefit plan to the extent that the plan must cover mandated benefits that would not have been included in the plan in the absence of the law or regulation that mandates the benefits

Options:

A.  

Both 1 and 2

B.  

1 only

C.  

2 only

D.  

Neither 1 nor 2

Discussion 0
Questions 16

Doctors’ Care is an individual practice association (IPA) under contract to the Jasper Health Plan to provide primary and secondary care to Jasper’s members. Jasper’s capitation payments compensate Doctors’ Care for all physician services and associated diagnostic tests and laboratory work. The physicians at Doctors’ Care, as a group, determine how individual physicians in the group will be remunerated. The type of capitation used by Jasper to compensate Doctors’ Care is known as:

Options:

A.  

PCP capitation

B.  

Partial capitation

C.  

Full professional capitation

D.  

Specialty capitation

Discussion 0
Questions 17

For a given healthcare product, the Magnolia Health Plan has a premium of $80 PMPM and a unit variable cost of $30 PMPM. Fixed costs for this product are $30,000 per month. Magnolia can correctly calculate the break-even point for this product to be:

Options:

A.  

274 members

B.  

375 members

C.  

600 members

D.  

1,000 members

Discussion 0
Questions 18

Experience rating methods can be either prospective or retrospective. With regard to these types of experience rating methods, it can correctly be stated that

Options:

A.  

A health plan typically can expect much higher profit levels from using retrospective experience rating rather than prospective experience rating a health plan using prospective experience rating is more likely than a

B.  

Health plan using retrospective experience rating to have to pay an experience rating dividend if a group's experience has been better than expected during the rating period

C.  

The premium determined under retrospective experience rating is usually higher than the premium under prospective experience rating

D.  

Most states require HMOs to use retrospective experience rating rather than prospective experience rating

Discussion 0
Questions 19

The McGwire Health Plan is a for-profit health plan that issues stock. Events that will cause the owners' equity account of McGwire to change include

Options:

A.  

McGwire's retention of net income

B.  

McGwire's payment of cash dividends on the stock it issued

C.  

McGwire's purchase of treasury stock

D.  

All of the above

Discussion 0
Questions 20

Provider reimbursement methods that transfer some utilization risk from a health plan to providers affect the health plan's RBC formula. A health plan's use of these reimbursement methods is likely to result in

Options:

A.  

An increase the health plan's underwriting risk

B.  

A decrease the health plan's credit risk

C.  

A decrease the health plan's net worth requirement

D.  

All of the above

Discussion 0
Questions 21

The accounting department of the Enterprise health plan adheres to the following policies:

  • Policy A—Report gains only after they actually occur
  • Policy B—Report losses immediately
  • Policy C—Record expenses only when they are certain
  • Policy D—Record revenues only when they are certain

Of these Enterprise policies, the ones that are consistent with the accounting principle of conservatism are Policies

Options:

A.  

A, B, C, and D

B.  

A, B, and D only

C.  

A and B only

D.  

C and D only

Discussion 0
Questions 22

The following statements are about a health plan's underwriting of small groups. Select the answer choice containing the correct statement.

Options:

A.  

Almost all states prohibit health plan s from rejecting a small group because of the nature of the business in which the small business is engaged.

B.  

Most states prohibit health plans from setting participation levels as a requirement for coverage, even when coverage is otherwise guaranteed issue.

C.  

In underwriting small groups, a health plan's underwriters typically consider both the characteristics of the group members and of the employer.

D.  

Generally, a health plan's underwriters require small employers to contribute at least 80% of the cost of the healthcare coverage.

Discussion 0
Questions 23

One true statement about a health plan's underwriting margin is that

Options:

A.  

the only way that the health plan can effectively reduce its exposure to underwriting risk, and therefore adjust its underwriting margin, is to control anti selection

B.  

a larger assumed underwriting margin will reduce the price of the health plan's product and will make the plan more competitive

C.  

the health plan's purchase of stop-loss insurance has no effect on its underwriting margin because stop-loss insurance can help the health plan control its expenses but not its underwriting risk

D.  

both the level of underwriting risk that the health plan assumes in providing benefits and the market competition it encounters most likely directly affect the size of its assumed underwriting margin

Discussion 0
Questions 24

One true statement about a type of capitation known as a percent-of-premium arrangement is that this arrangement

Options:

A.  

Is the most common type of capitation

B.  

Is less attractive to providers when the arrangement sets provisions to limit risk

C.  

Sets provider reimbursement at a specific dollar amount per plan member

D.  

Transfers some of the risk associated with underwriting and rating from a health plan to a provider

Discussion 0
Questions 25

The following statements are about federal laws and regulations which affect health plans that offer products and services to the employer group market. Select the answer choice containing the correct statement.

Options:

A.  

Amendments to the HMO Act of 1973 require federally qualified HMOs to adjust a group's prior premiums on the basis of the group's experience during the prior rating period.

B.  

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1986 requires that, if a plan sponsor elects to terminate its group coverage with a health plan, then the health plan must continue its coverage for the COBRA-qualified beneficiaries in the group.

C.  

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 generally requires the guaranteed renewal of healthcare coverage for certain individuals and for both small and large groups, regardless of the health status of any member.

D.  

The Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) of 1996 mandates that all health plans must offer benefits for mental healthcare.

Discussion 0
Questions 26

The Puma health plan uses return on investment (ROI) and residual income (RI) to measure the performance of its investment centers. Two of these investment centers are identified as X and Y. Investment Center X earns $10,000,000 in operating income on controllable investments of $50,000,000, and it has total revenues of $60,000,000. Investment Center Y earns $2,000,000 in operating income on controllable investments of $8,000,000, and it has total revenues of $10,000,000. Both centers have a minimum required rate of return of 15%.

One likely way in which Investment Center X or Y could effectively increase its ROI is by

Options:

A.  

Focusing only on increasing its total revenues

B.  

Increasing its controllable investments

C.  

Increasing total revenues, accompanied by a proportionate increase in operating income

D.  

Increasing expenses in order to increase operating income

Discussion 0
Questions 27

The traditional financial ratios that analysts use to study a health plan's GAAP-based financial statements include liquidity ratios, activity ratios, leverage ratios, and profitability ratios. Of these categories of ratios, analysts are most likely to use

Options:

A.  

Liquidity ratios to measure a health plan's ability to meet its current liabilities

B.  

Activity ratios relate the returns of a health plan to its sales, total revenues, assets, stockholders' equity, capital, surplus, or stock share price

C.  

Leverage ratios to measure how quickly a health plan converts specified financial statement items into premium income or cash

D.  

Profitability ratios to measure the effect that fixed costs have on magnifying a health plan's risk and return

Discussion 0
Questions 28

Companies typically produce three types of budgets: operational budgets, cash budgets, and capital budgets. The following statements are about operational budgets. Select the answer choice containing the correct statement.

Options:

A.  

Expense budgets, a type of operational budget, typically describe fixed expenses rather than variable expenses.

B.  

Operational budgets can only show information by department or by line of business.

C.  

Operational budgets begin with a forecast of sales revenue and investment income.

D.  

Revenue budgets, a type of operational budget, indicate the amount of income from operations that a company received from the previous budget period

Discussion 0
Questions 29

The theory of vicarious liability or ostensible agency can expose a health plan to the risk that it could be held liable for the acts of independent contractors. Factors that may give rise to the assumption that an agency relationship exists between a health plan and its independent contractors include:

Options:

A.  

Requiring the providers to supply their own office space

B.  

Employing nurses and other healthcare professionals to support the physician providers

C.  

Requiring providers to maintain their own medical records

D.  

All of the above

Discussion 0
Questions 30

The Northwest Company offers its employees the option of choosing to receive their healthcare benefits from an HMO or from a traditional indemnity plan. The premiums for the HMO are lower than for the traditional indemnity plan. In this situation, it is correct to assume that:

1. Individual low utilizers are more likely to enroll in the traditional indemnity plan

2. Individual high utilizers are more likely to enroll in the HMO

Options:

A.  

Both 1 and 2

B.  

1 only

C.  

2 only

D.  

Neither 1 nor 2

Discussion 0
Questions 31

Health plans have access to a variety of funding sources depending on whether they are operated as for-profit or not-for-profit organizations. The Verde Health Plan is a for-profit health plan and the Noir Health Plan is a not-for-profit health plan. From the answer choices below, select the response that correctly identifies whether funds from debt markets and equity markets are available to Verde and Noir:

Options:

A.  

Funds from Debt Markets: available to Verde and Noir

Funds from Equity Markets: available to Verde and Noir

B.  

Funds from Debt Markets: available to Verde and Noir

Funds from Equity Markets: available to Verde only

C.  

Funds from Debt Markets: available to Verde only

Funds from Equity Markets: available to Noir only

D.  

Funds from Debt Markets: available to Noir only

Funds from Equity Markets: available to Verde only

Discussion 0
Questions 32

With regard to the major risk factors associated with group underwriting, it can correctly be stated that, typically,

Options:

A.  

The age and gender of group plan members are not predictors of utilization of health services by group members

B.  

A health plan's product design or delivery system has an impact on member selection of the health plan, unless the members are in an environment in which employees have at least two benefit options or health plans from which to choose

C.  

A health plan should track demographic factors of groups only if the plan specifically adjusts for demographic factors on a group basis

D.  

A large group is more likely to exhibit a consistent claims pattern, level of healthcare cost, or utilization of services than is a small group

Discussion 0