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Oregon's Health Care Plan: An Idea Well Worth Trying
| Article
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10493 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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1 / 1993 |
2,441 Words |
| Author
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Jeffrey Miller
Jeffrey Miller is associate dean for administration and
planning at Northwestern University Medical School in
Evanston, Illinois. |
The people of Oregon, through their elected representatives, have proposed a bold experiment to make health care available and affordable for all Oregonians. Federal approval is required for part of their proposal. To date, it has not been forthcoming.
The goal of the health care reforms Oregon is proposing is nothing short of universal access to a basic level of health care benefits. Thousands of Oregonians will benefit from the lessons learned that can be applied to reforming America's health care system.
There is general agreement that the American health care system is in need of serious reform. A recent Louis Harris and Associates poll found 60 percent of American adults feel the American health care system needs fundamental changes. Another 29 percent felt the entire system should be rebuilt. Only 10 percent felt that minor changes would suffice. These results are not surprising. The American health care system at $800 billion is by far the most expensive in the world, measured either in terms of per capita spending or spending as a proportion of gross domestic product.
In spite of record spending levels, some 32 million Americans have no health insurance. Other countries spend less, but guarantee all their citizens access to basic health care.
Nor does higher spending produce better results. By commonly accepted measures, such as infant mortality and life expectancy. America's system is outperformed by those of other industrial nations.
While there is agreement on the need for reform, there is much less agreement on the reform needed. Therein lies the rub.
We are spending more and getting less. People are measurably unhappy with the present system, but not sure how it should be changed. In such an environment the federal government should be either leading reform efforts, or encouraging states to experiment. Instead, it appears paralyzed, unable to act, and willing to let states act.
Gridlock is the term most frequently used to describe the condition of the federal policy-making apparatus. The deficit casts a pall over any proposal to expand federal activity in any arena; health care is no exception.
TRADITION OF INNOVATION
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