Our Position on Health Care Reform

What should U.S. health care reform look like? Ask 10 people – or 100 – and you’re likely to get as many answers. While the answers depend on whom you ask, there are a few things about health care most people can agree on:

• It costs too much. The growth in health care spending is unsustainable. Total spending now accounts for 18 percent of our gross domestic product.
• The number of uninsured people continues to rise. In reality, the costs for their care are borne by all.
• We’re sicker than ever. Preventable chronic conditions demand a growing share of spending.
• The system is fragmented. Complexity makes care coordination, better health outcomes and lower costs difficult to achieve.

What We Believe

At BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, we believe in and support health care reform. We also believe:

• Affordability should mean everyone has access to coverage and care.
• Choice and innovation should be preserved through private market solutions offered on a level playing field.
• Personal responsibility should drive improved lifestyles and the prevention of chronic medical conditions which cost so much.
• Evidence-based standards should guide safe, quality-focused medical care – and the payment of that care. Paying for quality, rather than volume, must become the new model for private and public programs.
• Health information technology should be adopted to streamline the system and reduce administrative costs at every step.

Separately, each of these efforts has the potential to greatly reduce costs. Taken together, they will deliver tremendous value. Meaningful change on this scale will only come from broad public-private collaboration, grounded in a shared sense of urgency.

BlueCross is committed to working with all parties – the U.S. Congress, the Obama Administration and other health industry stakeholders to transform health care – and make it work better for every American.

The health insurance industry has already taken concrete steps for improving care and reducing costs, which include a pledge to simplify administration of coverage as part of a 10-year commitment to save $2 trillion.

For information about specific reform proposals BlueCross has helped develop and endorses, visit:

BlueCross BlueShield Association

http://www.bcbs.com/issues/uninsured/pathway-to-covering-america/    

America’s Health Insurance Plans

http://www.americanhealthsolution.org/reform-proposals/