Principles and Approaches

Principles

Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage has adopted principles for health care reform which guide our work. These principles are based on those put forth by the Institute of Medicine. We are using these principles to develop a health care reform plan that represents consumers . And we are measuring reform plans from our policymakers by how well they fit our principles.

Our principles are

• Health care coverage should be available to all.
• Health care should be continuous.
• Health care should be affordable to individuals and families.
• Achieving health care coverage should be affordable and sustainable for society.
• Health insurance should enhance health and well-being by promoting access to high-quality care that is effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered, and equitable.

Approaches

Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage has identified five approaches to improve health care for consumers.

• Insurance market reforms must guarantee access to affordable, adequate coverage where premiums are not based on health condition or history or other factors. We know that the wide variation in how much people are charged for insurance in Ohio must be narrowed and that rules allowing exclusions for pre-existing conditions must be changed.
• Coverage must be affordable and be publicly funded for those with lowest incomes and must be subsidized on a sliding scale. In these tough economic times, Ohioans are struggling every day just to make ends meet and must make difficult choices to provide for and to protect their families. They shouldn’t have to choose between food and health care. People who work for a living should be able to go to the doctor when they are sick.
• Employers, insurers, providers, government, and consumers—according to their ability to pay—must contribute to the cost of health coverage to achieve shared responsibility. As more Ohioans are covered by health insurance, the industries that benefit from greater coverage should be contributing to the cost of greater access.
• Requiring insurance companies, hospitals, and the government to report on health care spending to determine policies to improve efficiencies. Understanding how our health care dollars are spent is essential to make sure public investment in health care is really going to improve our health.
• The right health care must be delivered at the right time and place to improve outcomes and reduce expenditures. Offering access to health coverage is not the only answer if people still do not have access to doctors, medical homes, and preventive services. We must work on reshaping the delivery system in a way that will maximize access to care and reduce costs.