FIRMS TARGETING HEALTH COSTS.(MAIN)

Byline: BILL BRUBAKER Washington Post

The way some American employers see it, the past two decades of managed health care have not been about limiting employees' choice of doctors, promoting cheaper generic drugs over name-brand medications and forcing patients to jump through hoops to see specialists.

Instead, they say, the managed-care system has trained employees to become a bit complacent -- even frivolous -- about their health care habits.

Insurance broker John Love couldn't agree more.

Emboldened by their alphabet soup of insurance plans (HMO, PPO, POS), patients march into doctors' offices with nary a thought given to cost, says …