Managed care and ethical conflicts

Managed care systems achieve efficiencies by rationing the resources used to deliver care. This rationing has led to widespread perceptions of patient abuse and neglect in the form of restricted access to care, denial of choice, and overall reduction in the quality of care delivered. Conflicts of interest and fundamental ethical principles are perceived as often compromised in the managed care environment. We argue that ethical issues are inherent in managed care and cannot be avoided. Recently, federal and state governments have passed legislation and regulations to deal with the issue.