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Majority of Americans Believe US Health Care System Should be Changed or Rebuilt Entirely
10/06/08
An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the U.S. health care system should be changed fundamentally or rebuilt entirely, according to a survey of 1,004 adults conducted by Harris Interactive and released in August by the Commonwealth Fund.
Approximately 50 percent of Americans favor fundamental change, a percentage that holds steady regardless of income or geographic region of residence. A third of individuals surveyed by Harris believe that a complete rebuild of the system is required; that rate climbs to 45 percent for Americans who were uninsured during the past year. A report from Commonwealth's Commission on A High Performance Health System that accompanies the survey argues for six essential attributes of an improved delivery system. The attributes include the use of electronic health records that are accessible to patients and providers; actively managed care coordination; practitioner accountability to one another across settings; easy access to culturally competent care for patients; provider accountability for total rather than episodic care; and a systematic approach to continuous improvement in quality, value and patient experience. For more information on the survey and report, visits the Commonwealth Fund's Web site at www.cmwf.org.
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