The American Public on Health Care-The Missing Perspective - (Page 6)

Voices from the Town Hall We rarely hear from the millions who use it, the untold numbers who are either uninsured or inadequately covered, those who forego doctor’s visits and preventive care because they can’t afford it, and those who fear the unintended consequences of the reforms that might be on the way. The purpose of this initiative is to add their views—the missing perspective—to this critical debate about our health and health care. There is no shortage of discussion today about the problems of the health care system in the United States. Voluminous research demonstrates that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation, yet still under performs on many dimensions. Doctors, hospital administrators, insurers, employers, government leaders, economists, and a host of other experts debate solutions from their various perspectives. Health care reform is a top priority for political candidates this election year, though many questions remain about how their plans might work in practice. The voices missing in these debates, though, are those of the American people, the ultimate stakeholders in the health care system. We rarely hear from the millions who use it, the untold numbers who are either uninsured or inadequately covered, those who forego doctor’s visits and preventive care because they can’t afford it, and those who fear the unintended consequences of the reforms that might be on the way. The purpose of this initiative is to add their views—the missing perspective—to this critical debate about our health and health care. We listened to the people who participated in the town hall meetings we organized across the country. We tested what we heard through local and national opinion research and the experience of community leaders and experts. We learned a great deal about the public’s top concerns and its desire for change. 6

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of townhall

townhall

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.