A new series of policy briefs has been prepared dealing with reform issues in the USA. South Africa currently has a very similar system to the fragmented “American nightmare”, as Prof Di McIntyre calls it. Some of the reform issues being written about in the USA are relevant to reforming reimbursement, contracting, quality and paths to universal coverage.
“The [US] nation's leading health policy journal, with support from RWJF, is now offering free online Health Policy Briefs. These provide a clear, accessible one-stop overview of front-burner health issues. You can read the briefs at: http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/
“The briefs are geared to policymakers, congressional staffers, and others who need short, jargon-free explanations of health policy basics. The briefs include competing arguments from various sides of a policy proposal and the relevant research supporting each perspective.”
“Health Policy Briefs offer more context than fact sheets but are a quicker read than most backgrounder papers. The jargon-free information is objective and reviewed by Health Affairs authors and other specialists with years of expertise in health policy. Color maps and charts help tell the policy story at a glance, and often show how individual states are affected.”
“Sign up for an email alert about upcoming briefs at:”
http://www.healthaffairs.org/1260_opt_in.php
The briefs are also available from RWJF's web-site, at www.healthreform.org
The Commonwealth Fund in the USA is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/
For example: “A new Commonwealth Fund report, Finding Resources for Health Reform and Bending the Health Care Cost Curve, examines policy options that could significantly slow the growth in health spending, improve health outcomes, and provide additional revenues to finance comprehensive reform.... the analysis compares and contrasts estimates of savings from enacting various policy changes, such as revising the way Medicare Advantage plans are paid, paying hospitals a bundled rate that covers acute and post-acute care, investing in comparative effectiveness research, and more. The report, which compares estimates developed by the Lewin Group (for The Commonwealth Fund), the Office of Management and Budget, and the Congressional Budget Office, illustrates how widely estimates of policy options can vary based on underlying assumptions.”
“As the report shows, significant savings are indeed possible. The central challenge, say the authors, will be building the consensus needed to implement a set of policies that simultaneously expand access to care, improve quality, and slow the rate of cost growth.”
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2009/June/Finding-Resources-for-Health-Reform.aspx
Commission on a High Performance Health System is a major program of The Commonwealth Fund. The “Board of Directors recognized the need for national leadership to revamp, revitalize, and retool the U.S. health care system. The Commission's 14 members, a distinguished group of experts and leaders representing every sector of health care, as well as the state and federal policy arena, the business sector, professional societies, and academia, are charged with promoting a high-performing health system that provides all Americans with affordable access to high-quality, safe care while maximizing efficiency in its delivery and administration. Of particular concern to the Commission are the most vulnerable groups in society, including low-income families, the uninsured, racial and ethnic minorities, the young and the aged, and people in poor health.”
"The Commission has ignited considerable public interest and attention. Its greatest accomplishments so far have been to highlight for the public specific areas where health system performance falls short of what is achievable, and to recommend key strategies for transforming the system.”
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Program-Areas/High-Performance-Health-System/Commission-on-a-High-Performance-Health-System.aspx
Produced for IMSA by
Professor Heather McLeod
12 November 2009
