Millions of Americans lack reasonable access to affordable health insurance. Others fear that illness or a job loss could deprive them of their current coverage. Fortunately, major reforms can be achieved without eliminating existing coverage.
A broad range of reform ideas have been proposed, ranging from the elimination of private-sector insurance to a single-payer system that replaces fee-for-service medicine with a new approach to care management based on evidence and outcomes. Most proposals include a mix of changes to improve accessibility, quality and financial sustainability.
While the scope of healthcare reform is wide, there are a number of common policy themes, objectives and obstacles that are shared across the nation. Among these, the most important are:
First, improving accessibility. Creating better access for all is central to the objective of ensuring everyone has adequate health insurance and health-related services. This includes reducing barriers to access such as deductibles and copayments; extending the ability of individuals to choose their own plans through exchanges; and limiting the duration of short-term health insurance policies.
Second, promoting the efficiency of the health sector. Slowing the growth rate of healthcare costs and increasing efficiency raises standards of living by freeing up resources that can be used for other desired goods and services.
Third, a commitment to improving the quality of healthcare. This involves introducing transparency and accountability in the industry by linking patient-level data to provider performance. Ultimately, it will lead to more informed consumers and improved medical decision making, thereby driving innovation in the industry. This includes requiring lower Medicare reimbursements for hospitals with excess readmissions and establishing a program that ties physician Medicare reimbursements to quality of care metrics.