eAlert Mon, 01/08/2007 - 12:00 3c7ed984-c609-4b47-ad7b-29f3d5f15513

<p>Expanding health insurance coverage for the uninsured should be the top health care priority for the new Congress over the next five years, according to 88 percent of respondents to the latest <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26131&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fsurveys%2Fsurveys%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D439842%26%23doc439842">Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey.</a> Other top priorities include moderating rising health care costs, reforming Medicare to ensure long-term solvency, and increasing the use of information technology.<br><br>This survey of leading health care experts is the ninth in a series conducted by Harris Interactive for The Commonwealth Fund, and the first conducted in partnership with the magazine <em>Modern Healthcare.</em> Nearly 290 experts with a diverse range of professional and ideological perspectives responded to questions about congressional priorities.<br><br>The opinion leaders' responses closely align with public views on health care reform, as well as the principles laid out by the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System. A new <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26128&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D440730%26%23doc440730">Commission Data Brief</a> discusses the survey findings and their relation to the Commission's work; also read the survey report from Harris Interactive.<Br><Br>For lawmakers' perspectives on the new Congress's health policy priorities, read the commentaries by Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26129&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D439567%26%23doc439567">"Change Will Be Incremental,"</a> and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26130&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D439558%26%23doc439558">"Bipartisan Progress Is Possible."</a><br><br>Previous Health Care Opinion Leaders Surveys have covered the Medicare prescription drug benefit, long-term care, and the future of Medicaid. All surveys can be found in the <a href="/surveys/surveys.htm">Surveys and Data</a> section of the Fund's Web site.<br><br>Also check a new video editorial by Fund President Karen Davis, <a href="http://medgenmed.medscape.com/viewarticle/549600">"The Time Is Right for Healthcare Reform,"</a> on Medscape.</p>

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2007/jan/health-care-opinion-leaders-say-congress-should-focus-on-covering-the-uninsured