In the lecture it states that managed care is a very broad term why What are some of the factors that have fostered the movement toward managed care in the U S?

Managed care means that you are not directly and independent supervising your individual health care. It may mean a primary physician refers you to specialists. You may consider the HMO vs a PPO to compare and contrast. Managed care is considered to be an option in reducing costs because it defines what will be provided and these health services are only provided through the coordination of the physician and health insurance company. It is rather scary to think that someone else decides what medicine and treatment you can have.

However, some people do abuse medical coverage that provides more options. This abuse may include a lack of personal responsibility for health care. Some people will go to many doctors for a simple problem and order lots of tests. For instance, I smoke cigarettes and develop a cough. I say that it is not from smoking and I go from doctor to doctor hoping to find someone who agrees with me and tells me what I want to hear. This runs up a lot of cost that an insurance company may have to pay.

We have problems with health care in the US. We need a balance between personality and affordible care.