COMPARING HEALTH SYSTEMS
The Institute of
Medicine of
the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 recommended five principles to
reform our health system:
-
Coverage should be
universal
-
Coverage should be
continuous
-
Coverage should be
affordable to individuals and families
-
Health insurance
strategy should be affordable and sustainable for society
-
It should enhance
health and well-being with care that is effective, efficient, safe,
timely, patient-centered and equitable
Details on these recommendations are
here.
The current method
of health insurance is a mix:
-
Direct government
funding (Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, Veterans Administration, governmental
employees at all levels) -- about 40%
-
Indirect government
funding (business tax deductions, untaxed employee benefits, uncompensated
care)
-
Employer purchased
insurance: fewer companies (roughly 60%) offer this benefit and those who
do are transferring more costs to employees
-
Privately purchased
health insurance
-
About 16% of the
population have no health insurance at all, others poor coverage
-
There are many
thousands of insurance policy scenarios for treatments covered,
deductibles, co-pays, denials, provider network limits
Governor Rendell's
2007 legislation,
Prescription For
Pennsylvania, would provide some coverage to some of
Pennsylvania's uninsured. It retains the existing method of health
insurance, expands limited coverage to low-income residents, and proposes
many quality and cost-containment features. Read details of this
legislation
here.
The
Family and Business Health Security Act of 2007
(SB 300) proposes a single-payer health system for Pennsylvania, plus a
no-fault medical malpractice option, plus quality, cost-containment and
education features. If you look at any of the
comparisons
on this web site, you'll agree it is a vastly better plan for all
Pennsylvanians. Read more
here.
The National Health
Insurance Bill H.R. 676
had 78 co-sponsors in the 109th Congress. A
grassroots push is on for co-sponsors in the 110th
Congress in Washington. H.R.676 proposes a federally funded system administered by the states.
It is also called “Improved Medicare For All.” Read the details
here.
You can find answers to many questions about our comparisons between the
governor's plan and the Family and Business Health Security Act at the
following links.
What Is Single-Payer Insurance?:
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php
Key Features of Single-Payer:
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/key_features_of_singlepayer.php
Single-Payer FAQ:
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php
The Physicians for a
National Health Program (PNHP) is made up of 14,000 physicians and
health professionals supporting universal single-payer health care
since 1987.