Q.1) What role does quality measurement plays in assessing the performance of health plans and in assessing the impact of price competition?
The main component of the health care plan is Quality. It can be regarded as the major part of plan's reason for existence. The rationale for measuring the quality assessment is that it helps in achieving outstanding results. In the absence of a proper quality assessment and transparency, patients, clinicians, institutions, and society would not be able to evaluate the achievements of the health care system. Quality assessment allows the health care system, to keep a check on the deficiencies rising in their quality of service they are providing. It will help those to focus to on the quality, how to measure it, what measure can be taken to improve the quality.
The purpose of the health care plan is to ensure quality service is provided to the society. A health care plan is chosen by consumer, employers, and various purchasers, on the basis of the quality. A health care plan achieves a competitive edge when it is able to demonstrate the superior quality. People believe that a managed health care plan reduces that cost by compromising the quality. This is not correct as many studies have proved that quality of the service provided by a managed health care plan exceeds that of the traditional fee for service insurance. The mission of the health care plan is to provide top quality health care at a very affordable and cheap price. Due to the present economic condition, it is obvious that people are more attracted to towards cheap and quality products. An affordable health care plan would not only attract consumer, but also provides the plan with a cutting edge in the market (Berenson and Pronovost et al., 2013).
Q.2) Would you join a health plan simply because it had the lowest cost, without any information on quality? Why or why not?
I will like to be a part of a health care plan that provides quality service to me and my family. I would never want to risk the life of my loved ones by opting for a plan that is low on cost and provides low quality of a service. It is very essential to find a delicate balance between budget and need. A plan that appears to be cheap might not pay off in the future. An individual should therefore, anticipate the health care needs and choose a heath care plan that is fruitful in the long run. It is critical for an individual to know what an individual is getting, what is given up, when a heath care plan is chosen. An individual has a wide array of plans to choose from, a wise choice is the one that ensure quality service in the long run.
I will buy a plan that promises me information about providers (physicians and hospitals), quality providers, out of pocket cost, provider communication skills, courtesy and less administrative burden (paperwork) (Victoor ...