Reference no: EM132686011

Assignment : The Implications of Managed Care on the U.S. Healthcare System

Managed health care emerged in the early 19th century in response to the growing cost of medical services in the United States. It is an ever-evolving approach to combining the financing and delivery of health care that seeks to manage costs, increase access, and ensure or improve quality of care through a variety of methods, including provider network management, utilization management, and quality assurance.

1. Describe the evolution of managed care and the forces that have driven its evolution.

2. Explain how managed care influences access to and utilization of healthcare services within the current healthcare system.

3. Evaluate the efficacy of managed care plans in containing healthcare costs.

4. Differentiate and compare at least three models of managed care organizations.

5. Summarize at least one managed care trend (i.e., evolving mixed models, managed Medicaid, managed Medicare) and appraise how this trend will affect managed care's overall goal of managing costs, increasing access, and ensuring quality in the delivery of healthcare.

6. Use at least three recent (i.e., last five years), quality academic resources in this assignment.