Potential Impact of Health Care Reform Initiatives on Managed Care in the U.S - Essay Example

"Potential Impact of Health Care Reform Initiatives on Managed Care in the U.S" is a good example of a paper on the health system. Quality and affordable health care should be in the priority list of any government which is concerned about its citizens. In the USA, health care plays a significant role because a healthy population is arguably a key pillar in the growth and development of the country’s economy (Tietze & Sinha, 2003). This paper presents an in-depth and critical analysis of Managed Care. It does this by focusing on its meaning, history, current state, reforms, and implications on the general American population.

Definition and Origin

            Managed Care is a system of health care adopted by insurers, employers and medical groups as a tool for minimizing health care costs and improving the quality and efficiency of service delivery to the enrollees. It traces its origin to as early as the second half of the 20th century in which it was introduced to help in the country. However, it became more popular in the 1980s and 1990s. This was after the passing of the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 by Congress. From here, it started appealing to the private and public sectors. From here, its membership begins to significantly increase up to the present times (Gitterman, 2000).

Current State of Managed Care in the U.S. Health Care System

            Managed Care has become popular with a large section of the US population today. Since its inception, it has enrolled over 90 million people. A rapid increase in enrolment was realized after the 1990s when the plan was adopted by many people who wanted to include it in their health plans. The strategies adopted by the plan have made it quite attractive. Apart from putting emphasis on preventive care, it avails high quality and accessible health care services to the enrollees (Tietze & Sinha, 2003). At the same time, it offers financial incentives to them to assist them to get highly trained health care providers through their referral programs. Its growth can be attributed to the initiatives of programs such as Medicaid which has made it possible for it to get many subscribers because it has been appealing both to the employers and individual enrollees.

Potential Impact of Health Care Reform Initiatives on Managed Care in the U.S

            As a matter of fact, Managed Care has benefited from a myriad of health care reforms. These include Medicaid, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and Health Care Initiatives in Managed Care. These reforms have helped in introducing new changes such as practice guidelines, physician profiling, creation of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Through such reforms, Managed Care has become attractive as it is associated with improving the quality of services, efficiency, reduced costs and easier accessibility of health care (Scandlen, 2005).

Conclusion

            Managed care is undoubtedly one of the best initiatives in the US health care system. It should be adopted by all states because it has a brilliant future, especially if properly organized and fully supported by all the concerned stakeholders. It should be made more comprehensive and inclusive to all Americans irrespective of their economic ability. Quality health care is paramount for the prosperity of the country.