This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on Web of Science (2)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Comprehensive Tax-Based Approach

Jack A. Meyer, PhD; Sharon Silow-Carroll, MSW, MBA; Carl J. Sardegna, MBA

Arch Intern Med. 1991;151(5):917-922.

Abstract
More than 30 million Americans lack health insurance, and millions more are "underinsured." Meanwhile, the cost of health care in the United States is escalating, and some of our care is of questionable value. This article presents a health care reform strategy that addresses these three fundamental problems in the US health care system. The strategy, designed to empower consumers to make cost-conscious health care choices, combines a universal tax credit that enables all Americans to purchase basic health coverage; insurance reforms including pooling and reinsurance mechanisms; requirements that all employers make insurance available to their employees and that all consumers purchase coverage; and efforts to measure and improve the quality and efficiency of health care services. This strategy would help us to achieve universal health insurance coverage, while creating the proper incentives for cost control. In addition, it can be largely internally financed through savings automatically triggered by its implementation.

(Arch Intern Med. 1991;151:917-922)

Author Affiliations
From New Directions for Policy, Washington, DC (Dr Meyer and Ms Silow-Carroll), and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland, Owings Mills (Mr Sardegna).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 20, 1991.

Reprint requests to New Directions for Policy, Suite 400, 1101 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005 (Dr Meyer).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?