HCD Exam (study guide) Questions with
All Complete Rationales 2026-2027
Update.
What are the 4 components of a healthcare system?
A) Shared beliefs, values, communication, and a strong shared vision
B) Pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies
C) People, parts, interrelationships, and culture
D) Payers, patients, providers, and parts - Answer C) People, parts, interrelationships, and
culture
Which of the following statements is true?
A) The world health system ranking reports cannot be trusted as these reports all use different
measures for establishing their rankings
B) It doesn't seem to matter which measures are used within international health systems
rankings, the US healthcare system performs poorly amongst other developed nations
C) The world health systems ranking reports cannot be trusted as these are not reputable
sources
D) The Commonwealth Fund report clearly ranks the US healthcare system much better than
the others - Answer B) It doesn't seem to matter which measures are used within international
health systems rankings, the US healthcare system performs poorly amongst other developed
nations
What are the 3 goals of a healthcare system? (Select all that apply)
A) Easy access
B) Patient satisfaction
C) High quality
D) Universal coverage, regardless of cost
E) Low cost - Answer A) Easy access, C) High quality, E) Low cost
Which of the following are measures of quality within a healthcare system?
A) Patient satisfaction
B) Patient outcomes
,C) Patient safety
D) Patient insurance status - Answer A) Patient satisfaction, B) Patient outcomes, C) Patient
safety
Which of the following are measures of cost within a healthcare system? (Select all that apply).
A) Cost per procedure such as a knee or hip replacement
B) Patient insurance status such as insured or uninsured
C) Patient tax bracket
D) Healthcare spending as a % of the GDP
E) Patient income level - Answer A) Cost per procedure such as a knee or hip replacement, D)
Healthcare spending as a % of the GDP
Which of the following is NOT a measure of access within a healthcare system?
A) Physician to patient ratios
B) Patient income level
C) Patient insurance status such as insured or uninsured
D) Patient insurance coverage
E) Geographical proximity to needed services - Answer B) Patient income level
When analyzing healthcare systems, spending as a percent of the GDP is often considered. What
does this measure tell us?
A) The amount of dollars spent on healthcare every year
B) The percent of money spent on healthcare every year in one country, in relation to the
percent of money spent on healthcare in the same year in other countries
C) The amount of total dollars spent throughout all industries in an entire year
D) The percent of money spent on healthcare by insurance companies versus out-of-pocket by
individual patients
E) The percent of money spent on healthcare every year, in relation to the total amount spent
throughout all industries in the same year - Answer E) The percent of money spent on
healthcare every year, in relation to the total amount spent throughout all industries in the
same year
The US has universal coverage.
,True or False - Answer False
There is high variability in cost, quality, and access throughout the US healthcare system.
True or False - Answer True
In addition to cost, quality and access, which can be considered a building block of health
systems?
A) Innovation
B) Culture
C) Politics
D) Religion - Answer A) Innovation
What does the term universal access mean?
A) That everyone has access to health insurance, no matter where they are in the world
B) That everyone in a country has access to equal coverage of health insurance
C) That everyone in a country has access to healthcare services, regardless of health insurance
status
D) That everyone within a country has access to some form of health insurance - Answer D)
That everyone within a country has access to some form of health insurance
What type of health insurance programs became popular immediately after WWII?
A) Employer-based insurance
B) Medicaid
C) Medicare
D) VA/Tricare - Answer A) Employer-based insurance
What is a premium?
A) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service
B) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan
C) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
, D) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service - Answer B) The amount
paid monthly for a health insurance plan
What is a deductible?
A) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service
B) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
C) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
D) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan - Answer C) The amount that must be
paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
What is a copayment?
A) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan
B) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
C) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
D) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service - Answer B) The set
dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
What is co-insurance?
A) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service
B) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
C) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
D) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan - Answer A) The set percentage of the
bill that must be paid at the point of service
What is a gatekeeper?
A) It is when a patient has the ability to go see any provider they want, at any point in time
B) It's a drug that is seen to lead to more severe drug use
C) It's when a health plan dictates that a patient must get referred by their PCP to see a
specialist
D) It's when a health plan has an exclusive provider network - Answer C) It's when a health
plan dictates that a patient must get referred by their PCP to see a specialist
Match the following parts of Medicare with the associated services they cover?
All Complete Rationales 2026-2027
Update.
What are the 4 components of a healthcare system?
A) Shared beliefs, values, communication, and a strong shared vision
B) Pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies
C) People, parts, interrelationships, and culture
D) Payers, patients, providers, and parts - Answer C) People, parts, interrelationships, and
culture
Which of the following statements is true?
A) The world health system ranking reports cannot be trusted as these reports all use different
measures for establishing their rankings
B) It doesn't seem to matter which measures are used within international health systems
rankings, the US healthcare system performs poorly amongst other developed nations
C) The world health systems ranking reports cannot be trusted as these are not reputable
sources
D) The Commonwealth Fund report clearly ranks the US healthcare system much better than
the others - Answer B) It doesn't seem to matter which measures are used within international
health systems rankings, the US healthcare system performs poorly amongst other developed
nations
What are the 3 goals of a healthcare system? (Select all that apply)
A) Easy access
B) Patient satisfaction
C) High quality
D) Universal coverage, regardless of cost
E) Low cost - Answer A) Easy access, C) High quality, E) Low cost
Which of the following are measures of quality within a healthcare system?
A) Patient satisfaction
B) Patient outcomes
,C) Patient safety
D) Patient insurance status - Answer A) Patient satisfaction, B) Patient outcomes, C) Patient
safety
Which of the following are measures of cost within a healthcare system? (Select all that apply).
A) Cost per procedure such as a knee or hip replacement
B) Patient insurance status such as insured or uninsured
C) Patient tax bracket
D) Healthcare spending as a % of the GDP
E) Patient income level - Answer A) Cost per procedure such as a knee or hip replacement, D)
Healthcare spending as a % of the GDP
Which of the following is NOT a measure of access within a healthcare system?
A) Physician to patient ratios
B) Patient income level
C) Patient insurance status such as insured or uninsured
D) Patient insurance coverage
E) Geographical proximity to needed services - Answer B) Patient income level
When analyzing healthcare systems, spending as a percent of the GDP is often considered. What
does this measure tell us?
A) The amount of dollars spent on healthcare every year
B) The percent of money spent on healthcare every year in one country, in relation to the
percent of money spent on healthcare in the same year in other countries
C) The amount of total dollars spent throughout all industries in an entire year
D) The percent of money spent on healthcare by insurance companies versus out-of-pocket by
individual patients
E) The percent of money spent on healthcare every year, in relation to the total amount spent
throughout all industries in the same year - Answer E) The percent of money spent on
healthcare every year, in relation to the total amount spent throughout all industries in the
same year
The US has universal coverage.
,True or False - Answer False
There is high variability in cost, quality, and access throughout the US healthcare system.
True or False - Answer True
In addition to cost, quality and access, which can be considered a building block of health
systems?
A) Innovation
B) Culture
C) Politics
D) Religion - Answer A) Innovation
What does the term universal access mean?
A) That everyone has access to health insurance, no matter where they are in the world
B) That everyone in a country has access to equal coverage of health insurance
C) That everyone in a country has access to healthcare services, regardless of health insurance
status
D) That everyone within a country has access to some form of health insurance - Answer D)
That everyone within a country has access to some form of health insurance
What type of health insurance programs became popular immediately after WWII?
A) Employer-based insurance
B) Medicaid
C) Medicare
D) VA/Tricare - Answer A) Employer-based insurance
What is a premium?
A) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service
B) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan
C) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
, D) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service - Answer B) The amount
paid monthly for a health insurance plan
What is a deductible?
A) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service
B) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
C) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
D) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan - Answer C) The amount that must be
paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
What is a copayment?
A) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan
B) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
C) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
D) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service - Answer B) The set
dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
What is co-insurance?
A) The set percentage of the bill that must be paid at the point of service
B) The amount that must be paid out-of-pocket annually, before insurance coverage kicks in
C) The set dollar amount that you must pay at the point of service
D) The amount paid monthly for a health insurance plan - Answer A) The set percentage of the
bill that must be paid at the point of service
What is a gatekeeper?
A) It is when a patient has the ability to go see any provider they want, at any point in time
B) It's a drug that is seen to lead to more severe drug use
C) It's when a health plan dictates that a patient must get referred by their PCP to see a
specialist
D) It's when a health plan has an exclusive provider network - Answer C) It's when a health
plan dictates that a patient must get referred by their PCP to see a specialist
Match the following parts of Medicare with the associated services they cover?
