Consumers See Need for Health Care Reform
<p>Most Americans see the need for fundamental changes in the nation's health care system, according to new survey findings released today by The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System.<br><br>The results, reported in <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=23700&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D394606%26%23doc394606">Public Views on Shaping the Future of the U.S. Health Care System,</a> by Fund staff Cathy Schoen, Sabrina How, and colleagues, indicate that change is desired in nearly every aspect of health care. Forty-two percent of respondents said they had recently received poorly coordinated, inefficient, or unsafe care. The survey also reveals strong public support for efforts to improve care coordination, as well as a shared belief that expanded use of information technology could improve care.<br><br>Additionally, paying for care is a major concern: about half of adults in middle- and low-income families reported they have experienced serious problems paying for health care and health insurance. Not surprisingly, expanding affordable coverage and controlling costs, they said, should be top priorities for federal action.<br><br>The Commission on a High Performance Health System, formed one year ago, recently issued a <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=23701&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D387153%26%23doc387153">framework statement</a> outlining its vision of a uniquely American, high performance health system that provides expanded access, higher quality, and greater efficiency for all.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2006/aug/consumers-see-need-for-health-care-reform