Health Affairs

Posting date: March 31, 2004

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w4.179
Copyright © 2004 by Project HOPE

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The Institute Of Medicine Committee’s Clarion Call For Universal Coverage

Joseph P. Newhouse ^1* Robert D. Reischauer ²

¹ Joe Newhouse is the John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard University, in Boston, Massachusetts.
² Bob Reischauer is president of the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on the Consequences of Being Uninsured is to be commended for its work, which recently culminated in the release of six volumes on the subject. The concluding volume presents a vision for universal coverage and describes four options for achieving it. The options include an incremental approach, employer and individual mandates, and a single-payer plan. We identify complications involving benefits and geographic variation in costs surrounding attempts to achieve universal coverage. The complications suggest that the committee’s cost estimates may be too low and that there may be sizable political barriers to the proposals.

Key Words: Access To Care, Consumer Issues, Health Reform, Health Spending, Insurance Coverage

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