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IOM calls for universal health care by 2010

Physician Practice Advisor, January 21, 2004

Citing the strain that 43 million uninsured Americans place on the health care system and the nation's overall economy, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) gave the federal government a rousing call to action: health insurance for every American by 2010.

"The economic vitality of the nation is limited by the poorer health, premature death, and long-term disability of uninsured workers. The value in healthy years of life gained by providing coverage to everyone would almost certainly be greater than the additional cost of providing health care at the level of those currently insured to those who lack coverage," the IOM writes in the January, 2004 report, "Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations."

The IOM made the following five recommendations:

1. Health insurance should be offered to everyone living in the United States.
2. Coverage should be continuous because interruptions contribute to missed preventive services.
3. Health care should be affordable for individuals and families, even if this means financial assistance for low-income families.
4. The cost of the added insurance should be paid through taxes, premiums, and other cost-sharing, and should remain cost-effective by remaining simple. In other words, do away with the complex paperwork.
5. Any movements to defray the cost of universal health insurance should not come at the expense of quality. The IOM recommends that the basic benefit package include preventive and screening services, prescription drugs, outpatient and hospital care, and specialty mental health care.

To view the report, visit http://www.iom.edu/ and scroll to the section on recent reports.

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