Health Report to the American People - Background
In Section 1014 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act Of 2003, Congress directed the Working Group to prepare a report to be entitled "The Health Report to the American People" and make it available to health consumers through the Internet and other appropriate public channels. Congress stated that the report must include several components:
A summary of:
- Health care and related services that may be used by individuals throughout their life span.
- Cost of health care services and their medical effectiveness in providing better quality of care for different age groups.
- Source of coverage and payment, including reimbursement, for health care services.
- Reasons people are uninsured or underinsured and the cost to taxpayers, purchasers of health services, and communities when Americans are uninsured or underinsured.
- Impact on health care outcomes and costs when individuals are treated in all stages of disease.
- Health care cost containment strategies.
- Information on health care needs that need to be addressed.
- Examples of community strategies to provide health care coverage or access.
- Information on geographic-specific issues relating to health care.
- Information concerning the cost of care in different settings, including institutional-based care and home and community-based care.
- Summary of ways to finance health care coverage.
- Role of technology in providing future health care including ways to support the information needs of patients and providers.
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