ACS Views on Legislative, Regulatory, and Other Issues

Health System Reform—

Staff Contact: Cate Blankenburg, cblankenburg@facs.org

• Background
• Principles for the Reform of the U.S. Healthcare System

Background

Since November 1, 2004, representatives (one elected leader and one staff person) from 11 physician organizations have held three health reform summits, with the goal of developing consensus on approaches that might lead to health care coverage for all, control of exploding health care costs, and sensible adjustments to America’s medical justice system.

Participating organizations included: American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, and American Osteopathic Association.

The Board of Directors of 10 of the 11 participating organizations approved the final set of “Principles for Reform of the U.S. Health Care System”; the AAP did not sign on.

The goal when signing on to the principles was for each organization to be able to say: “These principles are consistent with our organization’s policy, and therefore we support them.”

Now is the time for the organizations to begin discussions about how we might wish to introduce these important principles to various external audiences — key decision makers, policy makers, the media — and to consider any other "next steps" that we might consider regarding this important issue.

Three formal meetings were held: November 1, 2004; April 4, 2005; October 11, 2005

Preamble:

Health care coverage for all is needed to facilitate access to quality health care, which will in turn in improve the individual and collective health of society.

1. Health care coverage for all is needed to ensure quality of care and to improve the health status of Americans.
2. The health care system in the U.S. must provide appropriate health care to all people within the U.S. borders, without unreasonable financial barriers to care.
3. Individuals and families must have catastrophic health coverage to provide protection from financial ruin.
4. Improvement of health care quality and safety must be the goal of all health interventions, so that we can assure optimal outcomes for the resources expended.
5. In reforming the health care system, we as a society must respect the ethical imperative of providing health care to individuals, responsible stewardship of community resources, and the importance of personal health responsibility.
6. Access to and financing for appropriate health services must be a shared public/private cooperative effort, and a system which will allow individuals/employers to purchase additional services or insurance.
7. Cost management by all stakeholders, consistent with achieving quality health care, is critical to attaining a workable, affordable and sustainable health care system.
8. Less complicated administrative systems are essential to reduce costs, create a more efficient health care system, and maximize funding for health care services.
9. Sufficient funds must be available for research (basic, clinical, translational and health services), medical education, and comprehensive health information technology infrastructure and implementation.
10. Sufficient funds must be available for public health and other essential medical services to include, but not be limited to, preventive services, trauma care and mental health services.
11. Comprehensive medical liability reform is essential to ensure access to quality health care.

American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American College of Cardiology
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
American College of Physicians
American College of Surgeons
American Medical Association
American Osteopathic Association

July 2006

ACS Views on Legislative, Regulatory, and Other Issues

Advocacy and Health Policy

Revised March 30, 2009