FAQ

1. What is TheCenter for Health Care Policy Research & Analysis?

The Center is a newly approved 501 c (3) not-for-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization that is committed to resolving the uninsured problem. Its goal is preventing the premature deaths each year of 18,000 uninsured Americans. It hopes to accomplish this by conducting the research and analysis necessary for the creation of a Universal Access Health Care Delivery and Single Payor Financing System called the Health Security Plan.

2. What do you mean by a “Universal access Health Care Delivery and Single Payor Financing System for the United States”?

A Universal access Health Care Delivery System means that all American citizens would have equal access to health care services. Under the present delivery system only people who have health insurance have equal access to the system.A Single Payor Financing System means that there would be only one payor for health care services in the United States. Under the present health care financing system there are thousands of health insurance payors (insurers, HMOs, employers, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.). It is estimated that a one payor system could save “us nearly $250 billion a year on administration alone.”(i)The Center calls this merging of the Universal ACCESS and Single Payor concepts a Health Security Plan or American Plan.

3. Could you give me more information on the Health Security (American) Plan?

The Health Security Plan has two primary components: 1) it guarantees every American citizen access to health care services provided in the United States – this is called a Universal access System and 2) the Plan will also guarantee the payment for health services provided – this is called a Single Payor Financing System.Therefore, the Health Security Plan provides for the provision of health care services to all U. S. citizens and insurers that health care providers will be paid for their services. This is the type of health care policy we believe that the American Public needs and wants. Additionally, we also believe that the public will finance the necessary research and analysis to develop and create the Health Security Plan.

4. Why is it important to have equal access for every citizen (man, woman and child) in the United States to health care services?

It is important to have equal access to health care services because: 1) it will save lives: 2) it is morally the right thing to do for our citizens; 3) a great country should provide for its citizens health care needs and 4) it is cost effective.Anyone who has been without health insurance at anytime in his or her life knows how it feels to be on a trapeze without a net – it’s terrifying. In 2003, 45 million Americans were uninsured (ii), had no health insurance and therefore little if no access to health care services. This resulted in the premature deaths of thousands (18,000) of uninsured Americans annually and sleepless nights for the remainder of the uninsured (iii).

5. How critical is the uninsured problem?

To demonstrate how dramatic and dynamic the uninsured population problem is, “In 2002 and 2003 nearly 82 million people – one out of every three Americans -went without health insurance for all or part of the two years”. (iv)Any of us could become uninsured in a blink of an eye. Just think about it for a minute. Your company, because of substantial premium increase over the past two years has decided to end its employee health insurance plan at the end of the month or your wife or husband dies and they are the ones with the health insurance coverage. You are on your own with no health insurance.What do you do now?

6. How much do we spend for health care & insurance, and all the costs associated with them?

I’m beginning to think that no one is absolutely sure what the right number is, but it is somewhere between $1.5 – 1.7 trillion dollars. That’s right, it’s hard to believe but we are talking about over a TRILLION and a half dollars. The U. S. “spends 15.5% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on health care, about $1.7 trillion per year. No other country comes close (v).”

7. Well if we’re spending over a trillion and a half dollars a year, then our citizens should be the healthiest in the world, right?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. “We’re only No. 22 among industrialized nations in life expectancy (77 years). Japan is No. 1 at 81 years. We’re No. 25 in infant mortality rate (6.8 infant deaths per 1,000 births). Sweden leads with only 3.5 deaths per 1,000” (vi). You really begin to wonder if the way we finance our health care services has a direct impact on those services. And are we getting our money’s worth?It is incredible if you consider that “The U.S. has the highest proportion of uninsured people – 15% of its population – among all industrialized countries (vii).”

8. What is the main barrier to developing a universal access system in the U.S.?

The problem that we have in reorganizing the funding model is that existing stakeholders place their special interests above what is best for patients and the citizens of the United States – no surprise here. This behavior from a strictly business perspective is understandable even though it is socially unacceptable.The stakeholder barrier prohibits and prevents most traditional health policy funding sources from funding any meaningful research or analysis that is contrary to their special interests. This has become an increasingly difficult problem that prevents any significant health care funding reform initiative.We all agree that everyone needs access to health care services, what we can’t agree on is the best approach to fund these services.A key objective of The Center is to solicit funding from the public in order to complete the necessary research & analysis to develop a statistical basis and foundation for the development of the Health Security Plan – a universal access health care delivery and financing system.

9. Is a “Universal Access System” socialized medicine or universal healthcare or what?

A Universal Access System is not socialized medicine or universal healthcare. These programs reflect the political and social health care realities in Europe and Canada but would never be acceptable in the United States.The U.S. needs a Health Security Plan that reflects its political, social and financial realities and needs. It is clear that a minimal health benefits plan that covers medical/surgical and hospitalization services, community rated and available to all – 24/7 — is the first foundation step. Everything else: claims processing, utilization review & quality assurance, reimbursements, systems, risk management, fee schedules, benefits above the basic benefit, prescription drugs, long term care, etc. are all negotiable and on the table.The Center needs to conduct the necessary research, analysis and negotiate (with key stakeholders) to clearly determine how the Health Security Plan needs to be structured adhering to its objectives of Universal access and Single Payor concepts.

10. How are we going to fund a Universal Access System?

The Center believes that all the stakeholders in the present financing & delivery systems, including you, can agree that everyone should have access to health care services. So the question is “How are we going to fund a Universal Access System?” The answer to this question rests with our need & necessity to conduct and complete new research and analysis projects. These analyses will provide a universal access strategy with specific findings, conclusions and recommendations on how best to fund this program.The Center is being developed to answer the question and conduct the necessary and required research & analysis projects.Right now we know what the optimal objective of U. S. national health care policy should be – access for all 24/7. What we don’t know is: How to bring all the stakeholders together? How to build consensus? & What will it take to have them support an access for all 24/7 agenda? TheCenter for Health Care Policy Research & Analysis has been created to answer these questions.

11. What types of people and organizations are on the Board of Directors of The Center for Health Care Policy Research & Analysis?

Our Board members (viii) represent individuals and groups that collectively have over 100 years of experience in the health care delivery and financing industries. Additionally, our members represent different disciplines – law, technology, data base science, communications and regulatory affairs.The thread that brings and holds the Board together is their commitment to the development of a U.S. Health Security Plan where every man, woman and child in the United States has access to health care services – 24/7 regardless of their ability to pay.

12. When a Health Security Plan is established what will happen to The Center for Health Care Policy Research & Analysis?

The Center’s mission is to provide experienced health care policy research and analysis services that focus on the creation of a universal access health care delivery and single payor financing system for the United States.When this goal is achieved The Center will probably be dissolved. However, if the Board should decide to focus on another health care delivery or financing objective The Center could be utilized for that purpose.

13. Presently, who funds TheCenter for Health Care Policy Research & Analysis?

The Center’s Board of Directors presently funds The Center.

14. The Center sounds like an organization that I would like to be involved in and support. What can I do?

This is a grass root, bottom-up initiative. The people who will fund The Center’s goals are the ones who have the most to gain from a Health Security Plan and that is the American public. If they want a Health Security Plan they will have to finance TheCenter’s organization and the necessary research & analysis to develop it.As we mentioned in answer #1, TheCenter is a newly approved 501 c (3) not-for-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization designated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This means that the public can make tax-deductible contributions/donations, bequests, devices, transfers or gifts directly to The Center. The Center’s membership committee is in the process of finalizing membership dues and donation parameters.The Center’s annual membership dues (ix) will be offered to: 1) individuals for $20.00 and 2) to organizations with fewer than 1000 employees/members. Individual and group Center members will only be able to donate up to $25,000 during any annual period.The reason for limiting group donations is because The Center does not want large donors influencing the integrity of The Center or its research results. We are very aware that “whoever pays the piper calls the tune.”So step up today and join or donate to The Center for Health Care Policy Research & Analysis. If you want a Health Security Plan for tomorrow, we must act today.

(i) “National Health would save us nearly $250 billion a year on administration alone. That’s the difference between the 20% we spend on administration versus the 4% – 7% nations like France, Britain and Canada spend.” NY Daily News article by Richard Schwartz, OPINIONS, May 2, 2005, page 35.(ii) “In 2003 45 million Americans – more than one out of every six people had no health insurance” U.S. Census Bureau, Health Insurance Coverage: 2003 (Washington, D.C.: Census Bureau, 2004)(iii) A January 2004 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report (Insuring America’s Health: Principles and Recommendations) estimated that 18,000 people each year die prematurely because they lack health insurance.(iv) “In 2002 and 2003 nearly 82 million people – one out of every three Americans -went without health insurance for all or part of the two years”. Kathleen Stoll and Kim Jones, “One in Three: Non-elderly Americans Without Health Insurance 2002-2003”, Families USA Foundation, Washington, D.C., 2004 p. 3.(v) “The U.S. spends 15.5% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on health care, about $1.7 trillion per year. No other country comes close. Yet for all that money – equal to the entire economic output of France – approximately 45 million Americans go without health insurance.” NY Daily News article by Richard Schwartz, OPINIONS, May 2, 2005, page 35.(vi)”Were only No. 22 among industrialized nations in life expectancy (77 years). Japan is No. 1 at 81 years. We’re No. 25 in infant mortality rate (6.8 infant deaths per 1,000 births). Sweden leads with only 3.5 deaths per 1,000″. NY Daily News article by Richard Schwartz, OPINIONS, May 2, 2005, page 35.(vii) “The U.S. has the highest proportion of uninsured people – 15% of its population – among all industrialized countries.” NY Daily News article by Richard Schwartz, OPINIONS, May 2, 2005, page 35.(viii) TheCenter Board Member’s Bios & Pictures can be found on our website: http://www.thepolicycenter.org(ix) TheCenter Membership dues are tax-deductible and provide a: 1) monthly email newsletter beginning on September 1, 2005; 2) ACTION Flash E-mail’s, – an email directing membership ACTION on health insurance & health care delivery issues and 3) notices of fund raising events.PLEASE NOTE: A contribution/donation to The Center can provide you with a tax-deduction of up to 50% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).