Kaiser Permanente CEO: Health Care Must Mean More Than Coverage

Health care has been in the spotlight this year — and most of the focus has been on what is not working for the American people. Like many other industries that have undergone significant transformation before health care, the way forward is rarely simple or defined. There is no question it’s time for the health care industry to reflect the changing needs of America. Yet, is the health care system so broken that — to solve for 30 million more people getting access to high-quality, affordable care — we must throw out what is currently working for the 300 million people who have access to coverage while we are working on the real issue of affordability? Since the end of World War II, the building block of the American system of health care has been employer-based coverage, which left gaps that had to be addressed. In 1965, America agreed to take care of the poor and the elderly through Medicaid and Medicare. Since then, our system of health coverage has continued to evolve, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became an important next step in covering more people for their health care needs. Today, we have about 155 million Americans covered by their employer, 40 million by Medicare and 70 million by Medicaid. Approximately 20 million people gained health coverage through the ACA, but 30 million remain uninsured. Our work is not done. Too many Americans who are poor and considered the “working poor” are locked out of the front door to the heal...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized health Health Care politics The CEO Initiative Source Type: news