A Toolkit for Action:
The Imperative for Health Reform: The Position of the National Business Group on Health
Introduction
The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, over $2 trillion, or 16% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Since 2000, employers are paying 100% more for health care and people who purchase insurance on their own have seen even greater price increases. The rise in health care costs contributes significantly to stagnating wages, makes goods and services more expensive, and hurts America's global economic competitiveness. It is increasingly difficult for employers to provide affordable health benefits, for employees to pay their cost sharing, and for people without employer-sponsored coverage to purchase insurance on their own. At the same time, the number of uninsured Americans has also grown to about 47 million.
Meanwhile, more people question the quality and safety of our health care as up to 100,000 people die in hospitals annually due to preventable medical errors and only just over half of the time, patients receive recommended care.
The Board of Directors of the National Business Group on Health recently issued a press release on its position on national health reform. To emphasize the importance of this issue for employers and their employees, the Business Group had developed A Toolkit for Action: The Imperative for Health Reform.
Toolkit Components
Highlights of the National Business Group on Health's Position on National Health Reform—A brief, one-page overview of the Business Group's position on major aspects of health reform.
Details of the National Business Group on Health's Position Supporting an Individual Coverage Requirement—A one page document with more details and the justification for the Business Group's support for requiring that everyone should have health coverage and the conditions necessary to make it possible.
Details of the National Business Group on Health's Position Opposing an Employer Mandate—A one page document with more details and the justification for the Business Group's position that requiring employers to either offer health coverage or pay the government will increased the problem of the uninsured.
Details of the National Business Group on Health's Position Supporting the Federal Framework of ERISA—A one page document with more details and the justification for the Business Group's position supporting ERISA as a critical part of the solution to providing effective health coverage efficiently and opposing federal waivers for state health reform.
Details of the National Business Group on Health's Position Supporting the Maintenance of the Current Tax Treatment of Employer-Sponsored Health Care—A one page document with more details and the justification for the Business Group's position that the current unlimited tax exclusion and deduction encourages coverage and that people who purchase insurance on their own should have the same tax benefits as those who obtain coverage through their employers.
The Imperative for Health Reform (Presentation)—this presentation is for Business Group members to use and adapt for their own presentations to educate and inform their colleagues, management team and employees.
Principles for Health Reform—This publication emphasizes the relationship between improving the quality and safety of health care and increasing its efficiency and affordability to expanding access to health care and health coverage.
Detailed Position Statements on the Following Related Issues—Links to the Business Group's position on related quality, safety, efficiency and cost issues that are necessary to maintain long-term affordability of health coverage.
Comparative Effectiveness Research—Require studies comparing the clinical effectiveness of new medical interventions for specific conditions with existing treatment options.
Evidence-Based Medicine—Adopt policies that speed the adoption of evidence-based medical practice and the reduction or elimination of outmoded or ineffective treatment.
Health Care Legal Reform—Doctors, hospitals and other health care providers should be immune from malpractice lawsuits if they followed evidence-based medicine and best practices.
Health Information Technology—Health information technology (HIT) is essential for modernizing our current health system to improve quality, patient safety, affordability, and efficiency.
Pay for Performance—Both the federal government and private payers should change the payment system from one that rewards providers for volume regardless of quality or necessity to one that rewards providers based on efficiency and effectiveness.
Preventive Care—Payment systems, government policies, and market incentives should refocus efforts on disease prevention and health promotion.
Primary Care—Payment, policies, and market incentives should redirect incentives from high tech and specialized care toward a focus on coordination and management of overall patient care through models like the personal medical home.
Quality and Safety—Employers and government payers should take essential actions to improve the quality and safety of health care, including not paying for "never events" and requiring that all hospitals in their preferred networks have leadership and boards committed to quality and safety and participate in specific quality and safety initiatives.
Transparency—Consumers and payers should have available in a user-friendly format all relevant price and quality data to make informed health care decisions.
Recommendations to States on Best Practices for Health Care Coverage and State Options for Reform that Do Not Affect ERISA—These resources may be useful for employers who may be in contact with state officials
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