Commonwealth Fund Commission: Making Health Reform Work for Families and Businesses
<p>In a <a href="/publications/publication/2009/nov/keeping-both-eyes-prize-expanding-coverage-and-changing-way-we">statement released today</a>, The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System reiterates its call for a comprehensive, integrated approach to health system reform. If Congress fails to act, the Commission says, the nation will continue to have poor health system performance, eroding insurance coverage, and ever-rising expenditures that eat into family wages and savings and drive up costs for businesses. Commission members met November 16–17 in Washington, D.C. </p>
<p>In particular, the Commission recommends five broad strategies that should underlie comprehensive reform: </p>
<ol>
<li>Extending comprehensive, affordable, and seamless insurance coverage to all; </li>
<li>Aligning incentives to reward high-quality, efficient care; </li>
<li>Organizing the health system to achieve accountable, coordinated care; </li>
<li>Investing in public reporting, evidence-based medicine, and the infrastructure necessary to deliver the best care; and </li>
<li>Developing a leadership structure that can set aims for health system performance and priorities for improvement and monitor performance. </li>
</ol>
<p>"If done right," the Commission says, "upcoming health reform legislation can reverse the negative trends in U.S. health system performance and provide a more secure future for U.S. families and businesses." </p>
<p>To read the complete statement, visit <a href="/publications/publication/2009/nov/keeping-both-eyes-prize-expanding-coverage-and-changing-way-we">commonwealthfund.org</a>. </p>