Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
BOX 6.1 Vision, Principles, and Recommendations Vision The Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance envisions an approach to health insurance that will promote better overall health for individuals, families, communities, and the nation by providing financial access for everyone to neces- sary, appropriate, and effective health services. Principles 1. Health care coverage should be universal. 2. Health care coverage should be continuous. 3. Health care coverage should be affordable to individuals and families. 4. The health insurance strategy should be affordable and sustainable for society. 5. Health care coverage should enhance health and well-being by promoting ac- cess to high-quality care that is effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered, and equitable. Recommendations The Committee recommends that these principles be used to assess the merits of current proposals and to design future strategies for extending coverage to every- one. **** The Committee recommends that the President and Congress develop a strategy to achieve universal insurance coverage and establish a firm and explicit schedule to reach this goal by 2010. **** The Committee recommends that until universal coverage takes effect, the federal and state governments provide resources sufficient for Medicaid and the State Childrenâs Health Insurance Program to cover all persons currently eligible and prevent the erosion of outreach efforts, eligibility, enrollment, and coverage. 152
