Healthcare reform is a topic discussed everywhere in the United States, by any adult who has tried to access decent, affordable healthcare in the past decade. Understanding the roots of the dysfunction, what the questions are, the possible answers, and how it all relates to cost is an integral part of understanding healthcare reform.
What exactly is public option health insurance? Understanding the pros and cons of this form of insurance will help you decide whether it is a choice you would make for a good healthcare reform program.
Among those interested in solutions for healthcare insurance reform, health insurance exchanges are being discussed. What is a health insurance exchange and how would it benefit patients?
What is a health insurance co-op or a health insurance cooperative and how would it help Americans get healthcare coverage.
What concerns do you have about healthcare reform? Are there changes you’ve heard about or wondered about? Are you not sure what to believe? Share the issues on your mind here.
There is so much information -- and disinformation -- circulating about healthcare reform. It's difficult to know what is true and what isn't true. Let's take a look at the rumors that are out there, and see if we can't get straight answers.
As healthcare reform debates continue, wise patients learn to separate the facts from the fiction and the lies about healthcare reform.
The American healthcare system is dysfunctional. From politicians to patients, we hear cries for healthcare system reform. Learn what issues need to be addressed, and understand the various opinions about what the possible answers might be.
We hear healthcare reform discussed continually in the media, and among our friends and co-workers, but why does the system need reform? What are the problems that need to be solved?
If you want to follow ideas for healthcare reform, and compare them to each other, the Rand Corporation has set up this website to make that possible
No discussion or decisions about healthcare reform can take place without deciding how healthcare services will be paid. Should the United States evolve to universal healthcare? Should it be single payer? Is healthcare a right? Or an obligation?
The most negative word bandied about in the debates on healthcare reform concern healthcare "rationing." Most of this is hype. So where does rationing fit into the debate on healthcare reform?
As America moves toward healthcare reform, senior citizens and older Americans are concerned that their care, and access to care will be compromised. Learn the facts about how healthcare reform will affect older Americans.
If you have good healthcare coverage, you may be fearful about the changes healthcare reform will bring.
Most people think that universal healthcare and a single payer healthcare system are the same thing. Learn the differences between them.
In discussions of healthcare reform, we often hear the term "universal healthcare," but it is often confused with "single payer" as a description of a way to pay for healthcare. What is universal healthcare and how does it work?
Americans frequently confuse the idea of a single payer healthcare system with a universal system. What is single payer healthcare? And how is it different from universal healthcare?
When Americans talk about healthcare reform, they worry about the concept of socialized medicine. Just what is socialized medicine, and is it really something to worry about?
When we are denied the medical care we want or think we need, having a knowledge of the concept of healthcare rationing will go a long way toward helping us how to combat it. Understanding healthcare rationing will also help us understand conversations in the coming years about healthcare reform.
At the foundation of decision about healthcare reform is deciding who should have access to healthcare and what services should be covered for payment. Should all Americans be covered? Should they be able to choose from more services or fewer? Begin the discussion here.
Consumer directed healthcare, also called consumer driven healthcare, is a way patients control the cost of their healthcare, and is discussed by experts in healthcare reform.
Payment for healthcare services is not the only cost-related issue in healthcare reform. From fraud, to the costs of drugs and medical devices, to the cost of technology and new facilities, there are additional considerations.
Those who work hard to pay for their health insurance may get frustrated at the idea of having to pay for others too. What they don't realize is that they already are, and the costs in money and health are astronomical already.
Medical research must be included in conversations about healthcare reform, because like all other aspects of reform, good research costs money. The lack of government money for research has caused conflicts of interest and failures on the part of the FDA.
The use of technology in healthcare is both a blessing and a curse. While patients may benefit, the costs are often very high, making an impact on the overall cost of tests and treatments, a cost which gets passed on to the patient. The exception may be electronic medical records.
Included in discussions of healthcare reform should be the cost of patient safety violations. When healthcare professionals are in a hurry, they make mistakes. The cost to patients is their health, perhaps their lives, and always, more money.
What does tort reform mean, and why is it part of the discussion about healthcare reform?
What does health- or- medical-cost transparency mean, what is its relation to consumer directed healthcare, and how does it affect healthcare reform?
What does the concept of portability mean in a discussion about healthcare reform and insurance?
What are pre-existing conditions and why do I need to be concerned about them?
