ABSTRACT
Managed care is a term that elicits a variety of reactions from health care professionals. Some practitioners feel anxious, confused, or bewildered as they try to provide traditional care to clients while coping with a maze of acronyms, undecipherable insurance jargon and procedures, and unclear or distasteful “business” concepts that have invaded clinical practice. Others feel resentment or even anger at managed care firms-resentment toward systems that seem to constantly question their clinical judgement and autonomy, and anger toward perceived threats to their professional livelihood. Many clinicians who have fought hard for increased access to counseling and therapy services for consumers are angered by what they see as managed care’s roadblocks to individuals and families receiving such care. They point to waiting lists, “gatekeepers” (who may not be clinicians), and excessive paperwork as obstacles to treatment imposed by managed care systems in an effort to restrict or deny services.
