Uninsured Top Priority for Congress
According to Health Care Opinion Leaders
1
"Which of the following health care issues should be the top
priorities for Congress to address in the next five years?"
83%
Expand coverage to the uninsured
Increased use of IT to improve quality and safety of care
62%
Enact reforms to moderate the rising costs of medical
care for the nation
51%
44%
Medicare reforms to ensure long-run solvency
Medicare payment reform to reward performance on
quality and efficiency
42%
30%
Address racial/ethnic disparities in care
Administrative simplification and standardization
29%
Medicaid reforms to improve coverage
29%
Address shortage of trained professionals (e.g.
primary care physicians and nurses)
23%
22%
Control rising cost of prescription drugs
17%
Malpractice reform
14%
Improve quality of nursing homes and LTC
Improve incentives to purchase LTC insurance
Control Medicaid costs
10%
6%
Source: The Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, March 2006.
THE
COMMONWEALTH
FUND
2
Transformation Is Possible
"What you would see as both an achievable and
a desirable target or goal for policy action for the next 10 years?"
100%
Current
Goal
77%
80%
55%
60%
40%
20%
18%
16%
16%
5%
0%
Proportion of under-65
population that has no health
insurance
Total cost of health care as a
percentage of GDP
Portion of recommended care
that patients receive
Note: Goal percentages represent median responses.
Source: Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, March 2006.
THE
COMMONWEALTH
FUND
Health Care Opinion Leaders:
Views on Health Insurance and Expansion
3
"Which of the following should be top priorities for action?"
Allow individuals and small businesses to buy into
FEHBP or similar federal group option
Require employers who don't provide coverage to
contribute to a fund that would pay for such coverage
51%
46%
43%
Let near-elderly adults buy into Medicare
Provide federal matching funds for Medicaid/SCHIP
coverage of everyone below 150% poverty
41%
38%
Establish a single-payer insurance system
Open up Medicare to those not coverage by an employer plan
35%
Provide tax credits or other subsidies to low-wage
workers to buy coverage
Provide incentives or requirements to expand
employer-based health insurance
Individual mandate with tax credits for uninsured to
buy individual market coverage
32%
32%
29%
22%
Reinsurance for small business insurance plans
21%
Eliminate 2-year waiting period for the disabled for Medicare
16%
Promote tax-free health savings accounts
Permit association health plans to provide coverage
without state licensing
5%
Source: The Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, March 2006.
THE
COMMONWEALTH
FUND
4
Efficiency and Effectiveness Top Priorities for Action
According to Health Care Opinion Leaders
"Which of the following health care issues should be the top
priorities for action?"
Increased and more effective use of information technology
64%
Reward providers who are more efficient and provide
higher quality care
Increased use of disease/care management strategies
61%
53%
Use evidence-based guidelines to determine whether a
test or procedure should be done
Make information on comparative quality, costs available to public
47%
37%
Reduce administrative costs of insurers and providers
33%
Have all payers adopt common payment methods or rates
33%
25%
Consolidate purchasing power by public and private insurers
23%
Reduce inappropriate medical care and fraud
Create national agency to set quality standards, practice guidelines
21%
Encourage small employers to join larger purchasing pools
18%
Malpractice reform
18%
Legalize the importation of brand name prescription drugs
Encourage competition among insurers and providers
Require consumers to pay substantially higher share of
health care costs
12%
11%
10%
Source: The Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, March 2006.
THE
COMMONWEALTH
FUND