Health Care Reform Vital, Expert Says
Doctor set to speak to Manchin
about issue
From his vantage point as president of the
nonpartisan National Coalition on Health Care, Dr. Henry Simmons clearly is
familiar with what's happening in the field. And it doesn't look so promising,
he said. That's why Simmons is scheduled to meet with Gov. Joe Manchin
on Wednesday to encourage him to support efforts to reform health care, in one
way or another.
"I've already met with a number of
governors," Simmons said. "And I will meet with many more in the next
few months. This is a critical issue for the federal government, the private
sector and state government."
For instance, 15.6 percent of Americans, or 45
million, don't even have health insurance. The percentage of those with
employment-based health insurance dropped from 70 percent in 1987 to 61 percent
last year. And providing services to the uninsured costs the
Simmons is hoping that all Americans recognize
how serious the problem is. "No one is safe in a system headed in this
direction," he said. "No one other than the very wealthiest can assure
themselves that they will continue to have adequate coverage.
"The fact is, we spend a lot more money per
capita than any nation in the world and don't get better outcomes. In many
instances, our system is worse, certainly wasteful. People don't understand
that. More is not better."
Indeed, more expensive health care services and a
resulting dwindling access to insurance also are adversely affecting the
viability of pension funds.
All is not bleak, however. Projections
from the coalition say system-wide health-care reform would improve the health
of Americans and save money in the long run. Done right, health care reform will
save the country "a great deal of money while at the same time assuring
health coverage for all Americans and dramatically improving health care,"
Simmons said.
The coalition, an alliance of more than 90 major
organizations from the American Federation of Teachers to the Presbyterian
Church USA to the Salvation Army, has calculated costs and savings associated
with four options.
They include an employer mandate; expansion of
existing public health insurance programs; creation of new public programs maybe
modeled on the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan; and the establishment of a
universal publicly financed program.
Employers who provide coverage now could save at
least $195 billion a year in a decade with reform while employees could save
another $40 billion, the report said.
"This is probably the most serious domestic
issue in our country," said Simmons, president of the coalition for 15
years. "It demands changes and an educated, activated citizenry.