It's part of a chain of for-profit hospitals which have contracted with the Medica Medical Group to provide prepaid, comprehensive care in this part of Arizona.

In the new system of prepaid care, the H.M.O. receives the same fee no matter what; an extra sonogram comes out of its profits.

In the 1940s, more than 90% of Albertans received prepaid medical care due to the government-created Medical Services (Alberta), until replaced by compulsory federal medicare in 1969.

Alternatively, they could pay a flat monthly sum of $15 to $25 per family member for fully prepaid care.

In 1939 the Medical Society of New York received funds from the Foundation in order that they might "experiment in voluntary prepaid medical care".

The latter category includes doctors working for health maintenance organizations, or H.M.O.'s, and physicians who provide prepaid care in solo and group practices.

That pressure will intensify if Congress adopts anything resembling President Clinton's health proposals, which would encourage more prepaid care and set limits on medical spending.

Also in 1929, Baylor Hospital provided approximately 1,500 teachers with prepaid care.

We should separate the concept of "illness insurance" - insurance to assist with expenses consequent to illness or injury - from prepaid medical care.

After a career that included traditional fee-for-service and prepaid care, I concluded that the errors of doing too much outweighed those of doing less.