Relationship Between Healthcare Costs and Quality in the U.S.

Healthcare Cost and Quality
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Introduction
The discussion about the cost of healthcare in the U.S. continues to be an interesting one. The country has one of the most ridiculous costs and packages, something that has been subject of endless debates and political imperatives. To a great extent, the healthcare costs in the U.S. are ridiculous and exaggerated. The nation is developed and actually drives the global economy too, testament that its economy is strong and the standards of living are great. Compared to other developed nations however, the per capita expenditure of average American citizens on healthcare, far exceeds that of the same in other nations. In terms of future projections too, the nation is way more advanced and more prepared than the rest of the world.
There is however another issue to do with quality. While the healthcare cost is that high, does it correspond to the quality of services or products offered? Under normal or ordinary circumstances, it is expected that the costlier the service, the better its quality. This paper will address the relationship between healthcare cost and quality, in an effort to establish whether there is any balance or correspondence between the two. This will be done through comparative case studies of two agencies.
Public and Private Agencies
When it comes to public agencies, there are two examples that can be applied here; the Child Health Plan (CH+) as well as the Medicaid (Burke & Ryan, 2014). Private health insurance is usually done through private or local agreements between the parties involved. In public insurance, the products begin to be employed right from the first month that the agreement is done. When it comes to private agencies however, there is no such fixed term. As a result the coverage can be altered based on the particular agreement between the parties involved. If the products are taken up starting from the mid of the month, then the coverage begin to be covered or counted from the beginning of the following month. Qualification for Medicaid and CHP+ is in most cases easy and free, although there may be a few payments to be made for it (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2016).). When it comes to private insurance agencies however, enlistment or registration is made through premium installments.
Initiatives in Establishing a Tradeoff between Quality and Cost
There is the need to find a way to come up with initiatives that try establishing some sort of balance between the quality and cost of healthcare. To do this, there is the need for Medicaid to focus on specific aspects such as specialist costs, which offer quality healthcare on costs. There is also the encouragement of a strategy that is...