Insuring America's Health Principles and Recommendations (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 153-160
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From page 153... ...
· When a community has a high uninsured rate, this can adversely affect its overall health status and its health care institutions and providers, and reduce the access of its residents to certain services. · The estimated value across society in healthy years of life gained by providing health insurance coverage to uninsured persons is almost certainly greater than the additional costs of providing those who lack coverage with the same level of services as insured persons use.
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From page 154... ...
Most importantly, major reform will require strong, bipartisan political support. The Committee concludes that universal health insurance coverage for everyone in the United States requires major reform initiated as federal policy.
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From page 155... ...
Anticipating the political ramifications of the redistributive impacts of a reformed health insurance strategy is beyond the scope of the Committee's charge. The inevitability of such shifts is not a reason for inaction.
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From page 156... ...
This fiscal crisis is intensified by rising health care costs and insurance premiums and by growing numbers of unemployed residents who are uninsured and eligible for public coverage (Smith et al., 2003~. As a result of budget shortfalls in 2002, many states are planning significant cutbacks in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
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From page 157... ...
The Committee recommends that until universal coverage takes effect, the federal and state governments provide resources sufficient for Medicaid and S CHIP to cover all persons currently eligible and prevent the erosion of outreach efforts, eligibility, enrollment, and coverage. The public coverage programs are critical for those who otherwise would be uninsured.
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From page 158... ...
The next steps require bipartisan political action at the federal level to move the process forward. Box 6.2 reminds us that this peculiarly American dilemma of health insurance reform has been with us a long time.
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From page 159... ...
We all benefit as well because health insurance contributes essentially to obtaining the kind and quality of health care that can express the equality and dignity of every person. Unless we can ensure universal coverage, we fail as a nation to deliver the great promise of our health care system, as well as of the values we live by as a society.
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