TY - JOUR
T1 - The American Public Health Association Endorses Single-Payer Health System Reform
AU - American Public Health Association, Medical Care Section
AU - King, Ben
AU - Spadaro, Anthony
AU - Schiff, Gordon
AU - Rodriguez-Monguio, Rosa
AU - Jordan, Alison O.
AU - Flaherty, Lisa
AU - Lee, Wei Chen
AU - Zito, Julie
AU - Fein, Oliver
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Health care is a human right. Achieving universal health insurance coverage for all US residents requires significant system-wide reform. The most equitable and cost-effective health care system is a public, single-payer (SP) system. The rapid growth in national health expenditures can be addressed through a system that yields net savings over projected trends by eliminating profit and waste. With universal health insurance coverage through SP financing, providers can focus on optimizing delivery of services, rather than working within a system covered by payers who have incentives to limit costs regardless of benefit. Rather, with a SP, the people act as their own insurer through a partnership with provider organizations where tax dollars work for everyone. Consumer choice is then based on the best care to meet need with no out-of-pocket payments. SP financing is the best option to ensure equity, fairness, and public health priorities align with medical needs, providing incentives for wellness. Consumer choice will drive market forces, not provider network profits or insurer restrictions. This approach benefits public health, as everyone will have universal access to needed care, with treatment plans developed by providers based on what works best for the patient. In 2021, the American Public Health Association adopted a policy statement calling for comprehensive reforms to implement a SP system. The proposed action steps in this policy will help build a healthier nation, saving lives and reducing wasted health care expenditures while addressing inequities rooted in social, demographic, mental health, economic, and political determinants.
AB - Health care is a human right. Achieving universal health insurance coverage for all US residents requires significant system-wide reform. The most equitable and cost-effective health care system is a public, single-payer (SP) system. The rapid growth in national health expenditures can be addressed through a system that yields net savings over projected trends by eliminating profit and waste. With universal health insurance coverage through SP financing, providers can focus on optimizing delivery of services, rather than working within a system covered by payers who have incentives to limit costs regardless of benefit. Rather, with a SP, the people act as their own insurer through a partnership with provider organizations where tax dollars work for everyone. Consumer choice is then based on the best care to meet need with no out-of-pocket payments. SP financing is the best option to ensure equity, fairness, and public health priorities align with medical needs, providing incentives for wellness. Consumer choice will drive market forces, not provider network profits or insurer restrictions. This approach benefits public health, as everyone will have universal access to needed care, with treatment plans developed by providers based on what works best for the patient. In 2021, the American Public Health Association adopted a policy statement calling for comprehensive reforms to implement a SP system. The proposed action steps in this policy will help build a healthier nation, saving lives and reducing wasted health care expenditures while addressing inequities rooted in social, demographic, mental health, economic, and political determinants.
KW - formulary
KW - healthcare finance
KW - single payer
KW - single-payer healthcare
KW - universal coverage
KW - universal healthcare
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129834524&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001722
DO - 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001722
M3 - Review article
C2 - 35471488
AN - SCOPUS:85129834524
SN - 0025-7079
VL - 60
SP - 397
EP - 401
JO - Medical care
JF - Medical care
IS - 6
ER -