Final answer:
The statement is true, where health plans must meet rigorous standards for NCQS approval, with a focus on strategies to improve care, service, and reduce costs. The broader U.S. healthcare system aims to balance quality, access, and cost, with measures like the ACA trying to control costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement presented suggests that accredited health plans face a set of more than 60 standards and must report on more than 40 areas to earn the NCQS's seal of approval. This is true. These standards are crucial for encouraging health plans to adopt practices that are instrumental in bettering care, enhancing service, and reducing costs. Such practices include performance-based provider payments, using web resources to inform consumers, disease management, and physician level measurement.
Efforts to improve healthcare systems focus on achieving an equilibrium between quality, access, and cost. The U.S. healthcare system is known for its high-quality services and innovation but is challenged by high costs and unequal access. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced regulations like caps on administrative spending and the adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs), aiming to control healthcare costs and improve efficiency within the system.