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League of Women Voters: A prescription
for universal, affordable health care
Wisconsin:
There is a general agreement in our country that health care services
should be universal and affordable, but no unanimous agreement has yet
been found regarding the details of what should be provided and how. In
the search for that agreement proposals are coming from many sources -
Congress, the state legislatures, candidates for office and interested
organizations and individuals. Amid the volumes of information and ideas
the League of Women Voters has established some criteria by which to judge
the various proposals. The
main goal as stated by the national League of Women Voters is a basic
level of quality health care at an affordable cost for all U.S. residents.
Mental health coverage, long-term care for the aged, and the provision of
health education and disease prevention information all should be provided
without consideration of a person's ability to pay. The
league believes that, with some control of administrative costs and some
consumer co-payments, it would be quite possible to fully fund a basic
program from public sources. During an introductory period we would not
oppose some private funding and some insurance pools for small businesses
and organizations. The league opposes administering the system solely by
the private sector or the states. The
league believes that regional planning and cooperation are necessary to
reduce the costs of administration and improve the care available to
populations in underserved areas. Recognizing
there are limits to available medical resources, the league suggests that
allocation of services be based on the following criteria: the urgency of
the medical condition, the life expectancy of the patient, the expected
outcome of the treatment, the costs of the treatment, the duration of
care, the quality of life for the patient following treatment and the
wishes of the patient and the family. Both
the Wisconsin league and the national league have lobbied for a
single-payer system similar to Medicare and available to all. Both also
specify that reproductive health care information, which includes a
woman's right to privacy and choice, be an unrestricted part of any health
benefit package. The
current economic downturn and the increased cost of private health
insurance add urgency to the quest for a national system of health care
such as the league supports. Business would be relieved of an expensive
burden if companies did not need to provide health care insurance for
their employees. Employees might still be required to take on some small
direct costs as is done under Medicare, but the greatest benefit would be
felt by the unemployed, of which there is an increasing number. Nothing
could be more damaging to constructive family life than worry about
possible medical emergencies. Other
industrialized countries have shown the way. The United States must insure
good, basic health care for all its citizens. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
