CRS Issue Statement on Health Care Reform

Chris L. Peterson, Coordinator
Specialist in Health Care Financing

Interests in health care reform are driven by growing concern about several widely discussed problems, most especially health insurance coverage, health care costs, and patients' access to quality care. Commonly cited figures indicate that more than 46 million people have no insurance, which can limit their access to care and their ability to pay for the care they receive. Costs are rising for nearly everyone, and the country now likely spends over $2.6 trillion, more than 16% of gross domestic product (GDP), on health care services and products, far more than other industrialized countries. For all this spending, the country scores but average or somewhat worse on many indicators of health care quality, and many may not get appropriate standards of care. 

These concerns raise significant challenges. Each of the concerns is more complex than might first appear, which increases the difficulty of finding solutions. For example, by one statistical measure, far more than 46 million people face the risk of being uninsured for short time periods, yet by another, substantially fewer have no insurance for long periods. Insurance coverage and access to health care are not the same, and it is possible to have one without the other. Having coverage does not ensure that one can pay for care, nor does it always shield one from significant financial loss in the case of serious illness. Similarly, high levels of spending may be partly attributable to the country's wealth, while rising costs, though difficult for many, may primarily mean that less money is available for other things.


Date of Report: January 14, 2010
Number of Pages: 4
Order Number: IS40678
Price: $7.95

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