Will Seek Working Partnership with New President, Congress on
Public-Private Effort to Expand Health Care Coverage & Revamp Health Care
Payment Systems to Emphasize Wellness, Evidence-Based Medicine
CHICAGO, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A coalition of chief
executives from many of the nation's leading health care companies and
organizations have joined together to announce an industry-wide health care
reform proposal intended to 'close the health care gap' between the status
quo and the 'health care system all Americans deserve.' The proposal was
developed and endorsed by CEOs representing virtually every segment of the
health care industry - including health plans, hospitals, pharmaceutical
companies, medical device manufacturers, health industry distributors and
others.
The health industry reform proposal, called Closing the Gap: A Proposal
to Develop Affordable, Quality Health Care to All Americans, was unveiled
at a Chicago press briefing by Denis Cortese, president and CEO, Mayo
Clinic; John Hammergren, chairman and CEO, McKesson Corporation; Mark
Neaman, president and CEO, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare; Colleen
Conway-Welch, dean, Vanderbilt School of Nursing; Ronald Williams, chairman
and CEO, Aetna; and Mary Grealy, president, Healthcare Leadership Council.
In her remarks at the media briefing, Ms. Grealy said this proposal
reflects the health industry's intent to work cooperatively with political
leaders to make health care reform a reality.
"In 2009, it is our hope that we can work together to get this job
done. Too many times, health reform has been derailed by political
conflict, ideological gridlock, inflammatory rhetoric and demonizing
opponents to make a point," she said. "We are providing a blueprint for
health care reform that provides appropriate roles for both the private and
public sectors, and we believe it's time to get the job done and do what's
right for patients and health care consumers."
In their proposal, health industry executives have called for a number
of approaches to improve both the accessibility and quality of U.S. health
care. Among them:
-- Fully funding public coverage programs, with dollars from the Medicaid
and State Children's Health Insurance Program also used to fund
subsidies to help workers unable to afford their share of
employer-provided health coverage. This would be coupled with more
effective public-private outreach toward the millions of Americans who
do not know where to seek information about health coverage options.
-- Eliminating tax-treatment disparities felt by people who purchase health
insurance on the individual market because they are self-employed or
work for employers who don't offer health coverage.
-- Restructuring health care payment systems to encourage and reward
positive outcomes and the use of evidence-based medicine, instead of
simply volume of services.
-- Speeding up the movement toward a nationwide health information network,
with financing mechanisms for health care providers that do not have the
capital for information systems improvements, and the creation of a
national patient privacy standard to replace today's mosaic of
state privacy laws.
Ms. Grealy said, in developing this proposal, industry executives were
intent on not only addressing the accessibility of health care and reducing
the number of uninsured, but were equally focused on improving the quality
of the U.S. health care system.
"People need access to care, but it is also imperative that patients
receive care that produces the best outcomes," she said. "As we get more
people the health care coverage they need, we also need to take steps in a
number of areas - from health information technology, to liability reform,
to the way health care payments and incentives are structured - in order to
bring greater coast-to-coast consistency to health care quality."
Health industry leaders have scheduled meetings to discuss this
proposal with leaders of key U.S. Senate and House committees, and will
present it to the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, as well
as congressional campaigns throughout the country.
The Closing the Gap proposal is available at http://www.hlc.org.
The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) was founded in 1988 by chief
executives of the nation's premier health care companies and organizations.
At the HLC table, leaders from all sectors of for-profit and non-profit
health care work together to advocate their shared vision of a system that
offers accessible, innovative health care of the highest attainable quality
for all Americans.
SOURCE The Healthcare Leadership Council
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Related links:
http://www.hlc.org
CONTACT:
Becky Watt Knight, +1-202-745-5050, for the
Healthcare Leadership Council
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