The U.S. healthcare industry can improve the value of healthcare by building on innovations developed by employers, according to a report from the U.S. Chamber Of Commerce's Health Care Solutions Council.
The report, "Health Care Solutions from America's Business Community: The Path Forward for U.S. Health Reform," includes 23 proposals to enhance healthcare transparency, coverage, value and regulatory support:
Achieving meaningful transparency
1. Provide better, more consistent information on quality of care.
2. Promote best practices for health plans to provide comparative information on cost of care.
3. Help consumers obtain consistent quality and cost information when assessing coverage options.
Realizing greater value in healthcare
4. Promote outcomes-based healthcare payment and benefit reforms.
5. Move toward outcomes-based regulatory reform.
6. Advance the adoption of interoperable health IT systems nationwide.
Supporting effective employer-sponsored coverage and private insurance offerings
7. Track implementation and assess the impact on premiums and access starting now.
8. Phase in insurance market reforms.
9. Limit adverse selection.
10. Support high-value, prevention-focused coverage via regulatory actions and legislation if necessary.
11. Encourage greater employment.
12. Enact further legislation to make health insurance exchanges sustainable.
Reforming Medicare and Medicaid to support greater value
13. Align Medicare with employer-sponsored and exchange coverage by permitting competition among coverage options.
14. Implement further provider payment reforms in traditional Medicare to reinforce the care and delivery innovations supported by the private sector.
15. Reforms in Medicare benefit and Medigap should enable beneficiaries to save through higher-value choices and wellness activities.
16. Enable Medicare to support private-sector innovations in care.
17. Integrate Medicare and Medicaid coverage for dual-eligible beneficiaries.
18. Eliminate reliance on last-minute price reductions for Medicare providers, treatments and Medicare Advantage plans.
19. Consider implementation of additional Medicare financing reforms to help improve Medicare sustainability.
20. Encourage greater continuity between Medicaid, the exchanges and employer-sponsored coverage.
21. Support greater care coordination and address preventable costs for high-cost, high-risk Medicaid beneficiaries.
22. Continue Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital payments in states that do not expand Medicaid coverage.
23. Support multi-payer initiatives to improve care and lower costs.
More Articles on Healthcare Value:
Fitch: For-Profit Hospitals' Low Volumes Due to "Systemic Shifts" in Industry
Where Commercial and Employer Bundled Payments Stand in Healthcare Right Now
Increased Transparency Necessitates Chargemaster, Revenue Integrity