The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) reported that more than 35% of US adults are obese and suffer from metabolic syndrome which can include heart disease, stroke, diabetes type 2 and a variety of cancers, costing the United States more than hundreds of billions of dollars in medical care. It makes you wonder if the health care Americans chose to support our country was the right choice. A managed healthcare system may not be the most efficient at times, but compared to a universal plan, managed care seems golden. Managed health care in America dates back to the 19th century, when working people in rural America accepted a flat fee for doctors to provide care for them and their families. After World War II, however, hospitals and clinics began popping up across our country, enrolling more than half a million people. In the 1970s healthcare became commonplace and the choice of HMO, PPO etc. was formed. Employers have begun to see managed care as a necessity for their employees, and now health care becomes a job benefit (Tufts Managed Care Institute, 1998). Having a health plan through work The alternative choice to managed healthcare is universal healthcare which is a government-funded program. This healthcare system dates back to the days of managed healthcare, however it has never seen much success in the American system (Karen S. Palmer, 1999). Defined by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (1990) as managed health systems are: Health insurance plans intended to reduce unnecessary health care costs through a variety of mechanisms, including: economic incentives for doctors and patients to choose less expensive forms of care ; programs to review the medical necessity of specific services...... middle of article ......… Works Cited Bancroft (2013). Overview. Retrieved from: http://www.bancroft.org/about-bancroft/#.UsRNtvRDtENCenter of Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Facts about obesity in adults. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.htmlNational Center for Biotechnology Information (1990). Managed care programs. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=activate%20careSchwartz B. (2008). “Universal” healthcare kills. Retrieved from: http://www.patientpowernow.org/2008/03/universal-health-care-kills/Transcribed from a speech given by Karen S. Palmer (1999). A Brief History: Universal Health Care Efforts in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.pnhp.org/facts/a-brief-history-universal-health-care-efforts-in-the-usTufts Managed Care Institute (1998). A Brief History of Managed Care. Retrieved from: http://www.thci.org/downloads/briefhist.pdf