Solutions for Uninsured America
<p>In an article published today in <em>BMJ,</em> Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis examines current roadblocks to universal health coverage in the U.S. and offers possible pathways to a health system in which affordable care is accessible to every American. The complete article, <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26866&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D464574%26%23doc464574">Uninsured in America: Problems and Possible Solutions,</a> is available for free download from <em>BMJ.</em><br><br>Public leaders, health care experts, and industry executives are all in agreement that expanded health insurance coverage should be a top priority for the president and Congress, Davis notes. But political gridlock and scarce funding sources mean change is unlikely to come from the federal government.<br><br>Davis suggests an alternative approach to financing expanded coverage: reinvest savings gained through increased efficiency. One strategy for achieving this is to reform provider payment systems to reward high-quality, patient-centered, and efficient care.<br><br>"If the U.S. hopes to achieve a high performance health system that provides value, it will have to tackle the perplexing problems of access, quality, and cost and overcome considerable political and economic obstacles, as well as institutional resistance to change," Davis says.<br><br>*****************<br><br><em>"Uninsured in America: Problems and Possible Solutions" is Commonwealth Fund <strong>publication no. 1,000.</strong></em></p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2007/feb/solutions-for-uninsured-america