Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Not Yet Serious about Health Care Reform
The American Hospital Association has a policy on health care reform.
According to the August 18, 2008 issue of AHA News, the Association’s weekly news bulletin, health care reform “should include….a focus on wellness and prevention; coverage for all, paid by all; high quality, cost effective care, with caregivers connected through state-of-the-art information systems; a restructured system that manages chronic disease, spends resources on care, not paperwork, and addresses the growing shortage of well-trained health care workers; and ensuring that hospitals receive the resources they need to provide critical services for their communities, particularly under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
Since hospital leaders are arguably the best informed and most experienced people in the provision and financing of health care, one might expect their association to have some suggestions as to actions that could be taken to achieve this desirable state of affairs.
But so far, not a word about that.
Obviously, we are not yet serious about health care reform. When we are, somebody will recommend how it should be provided and financed and who should make it happen.
The American Hospital Association has a policy on health care reform.
According to the August 18, 2008 issue of AHA News, the Association’s weekly news bulletin, health care reform “should include….a focus on wellness and prevention; coverage for all, paid by all; high quality, cost effective care, with caregivers connected through state-of-the-art information systems; a restructured system that manages chronic disease, spends resources on care, not paperwork, and addresses the growing shortage of well-trained health care workers; and ensuring that hospitals receive the resources they need to provide critical services for their communities, particularly under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
Since hospital leaders are arguably the best informed and most experienced people in the provision and financing of health care, one might expect their association to have some suggestions as to actions that could be taken to achieve this desirable state of affairs.
But so far, not a word about that.
Obviously, we are not yet serious about health care reform. When we are, somebody will recommend how it should be provided and financed and who should make it happen.
