Managed care regulations: impact on quality?

Over the last decade, the general public and providers have become increasingly concerned about the quality of care provided by managed care organizations. This article focuses on state and federal legislative proposals to protect quality, and the potential tradeoffs involved with increased regulatory oversight of managed care proposals. In enacting managed care legislation, policy makers should balance the costs potential with the extent to which proposed policies will protect consumers from harm, enhance the operation of the market, or affect quality of care, access to services or choice of providers.