The uninsured, Katrina on people's minds in 2005
The uninsured, Katrina on people's minds in 2005
A Commonwealth Fund/Health Affairs informal on-line survey on the top health policy stories of 2005 focused on the growing number of uninsured, the public health impact of Hurricane Katrina, and the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
Other top stories included mounting evidence that the U.S. health care system doesn't deliver the value it should for the costs incurred and the continuing increase in health care costs.
The survey listed 15 policy stories selected by Commonwealth Fund staff and Health Affairs editors and asked web site visitors to select the five they considered the most important. The leading vote-getters were:
1. The number of uninsured continues to grow, reaching an estimated 46 million, with another 16 million reported to be underinsured.
2. Hurricane Katrina calls attention to holes in the nation's health care safety net.
3. Registration begins for the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, despite widely reported confusion among seniors over the myriad choices for coverage.
4. New cross-national studies add to evidence that the U.S. health care system, the most expensive in the world, doesn't perform as well as that of several other industrialized nations on various clinical indicators and in reported patient experience.
5. Health care costs continue to increase, putting additional pressure on consumers, particularly among the increasing number of people citing trouble paying off medical debt.
Rounding out the top 10 stories, according to the 1,100 survey respondents, were:
6. Research points to an increasingly serious epidemic of obesity, particularly among children and minorities, fueling concerns about disparities in related morbidity and mortality.
7. Ongoing avian flu outbreaks raise concern about the medical and public health systems' ability to respond to an expected influenza pandemic.
8. Growing Medicaid costs become a focal point for state and federal officials who are trying to close budget gaps.
9. The Terry Schiavo case refocuses attention on end-of-life care and decision making.
10. There is a growing consensus that broader use of information technology can improve quality and efficiency in health care, but still slow progress in moving from theory to practice in using information technology.
Other stories receiving fewer overall votes were:
11. The growing but controversial trend toward consumer-directed health plans based on high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts.
12. Interest in patient safety grows with an Institute for Healthcare Improvement campaign to save 100,000 lives by implementing proven clinical interventions and a new federal law providing for collection of voluntary reports of medical errors.
13. The start of Medicare pilot projects gives a push to the notion of pay for performance.
14. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration struggles to regain public confidence in the aftermath of a debate over the nation's drug and device approval and safety procedures.
15. The debate over medical malpractice continues, with various federal proposals put forth but no real action results.
(Information on many of these issues is available in previous State Health Watch newsletters as well as at www.cmwf.org and www.healthaffairs.org.)
An informal on-line survey on the top health policy stories of 2005 focused on the growing number of uninsured, the public health impact of Hurricane Katrina, ...Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.