For this assignment, submit a paper of 23 pages that answers the following questions:

• What role does quality measurement play in assessing the performance of health plans and in assessing the impact of price competition?
• Would you join a health plan simply because it had the lowest cost, without any information on quality? Why or why not?
• Referring to what you learned in your required and optional readings:
  • Should we, as a society, rely on individual choice of high-quality providers?
  • Should our decisions be based on publicly available report cards to improve health care quality?
  • Should we rely on institutions (for example, government agencies) to mandate and enforce minimum quality standards? Why or why not?
• How do access, quality, and cost-effective care come together for the benefit of patients? Physicians and providers? Hospitals? Society?