Both supporters of and critics of managed care, and the research has been mixed

by | Mar 16, 2025 | Essays

 

There are both supporters of and critics of managed care, and the research has been mixed. Discuss at least two pros and cons of managed care.

 

 

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Managed care, a system designed to control healthcare costs, has generated considerable debate. Here are two pros and two cons:

Pros:

  • Cost Containment:
    • Managed care organizations (MCOs) utilize various strategies to control costs, such as negotiating discounted rates with providers, implementing utilization review, and promoting preventative care. This can lead to lower premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for consumers, and reduced overall healthcare expenditures.
    • For example, by requiring prior authorization for certain procedures or medications, MCOs can prevent unnecessary or excessively expensive treatments.
  • Emphasis on Preventative Care:
    • Many managed care plans prioritize preventative services, such as vaccinations, screenings, and wellness programs. This focus can lead to earlier detection and management of health problems, ultimately improving health outcomes and reducing the need for costly interventions later on.
    • This is often achieved by providing incentives for patients to engage in preventative care, and by simplifying access to those services.

Managed care, a system designed to control healthcare costs, has generated considerable debate. Here are two pros and two cons:

Pros:

  • Cost Containment:
    • Managed care organizations (MCOs) utilize various strategies to control costs, such as negotiating discounted rates with providers, implementing utilization review, and promoting preventative care. This can lead to lower premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for consumers, and reduced overall healthcare expenditures.
    • For example, by requiring prior authorization for certain procedures or medications, MCOs can prevent unnecessary or excessively expensive treatments.
  • Emphasis on Preventative Care:
    • Many managed care plans prioritize preventative services, such as vaccinations, screenings, and wellness programs. This focus can lead to earlier detection and management of health problems, ultimately improving health outcomes and reducing the need for costly interventions later on.
    • This is often achieved by providing incentives for patients to engage in preventative care, and by simplifying access to those services.

Cons:

  • Restrictions on Provider Choice:
    • Managed care plans often limit patients’ choice of physicians and hospitals to those within their network. This can be frustrating for individuals who have established relationships with specific providers or who require specialized care that is not readily available within the network.
    • This restriction of choice can also lead to delays in care if there are few in-network providers available.
  • Potential for Underutilization of Care:
    • The emphasis on cost containment can sometimes lead to underutilization of necessary care. MCOs may deny or delay authorization for certain treatments or procedures, or encourage the use of less expensive alternatives, even if they are not the most effective option.
    • This can be caused by the financial incentives placed on MCOs to reduce costs, which can conflict with the goal of providing optimal patient care.

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