Nearly everyone agrees that the more than 50 million uninsured Americans are placing an enormous burden on the nation’s health care system.

Many advocacy groups generally agree on the desired outcome (health care for all, universal coverage etc.), though they tend to disagree on the particular means for achieving that end.

This resource on health care reform is being provided by IHA as a means to interact with health care advocates and to host discussions on the topic.

Recent Blog Posts on Health Care Reform

Health Reform and Economic Impact, part 2 [VIDEO]

On June 16-17, the Iowa Hospital Association hosted its summer leadership forum: Reform and the Road Ahead. The following video is the second in a two-part series of interviews conducted with a couple of the forum’s esteemed speakers. IHA had the chance to speak with David Swenson, Associate Scientist, Department of Economics at Iowa State University. Swenson provides his unique perspective on where the country is at in the current economic recession and how it may affect the economics of health care in the near future.

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Health Reform and Economic Impact, part 1 [VIDEO]

On June 16-17, the Iowa Hospital Association hosted its summer leadership forum: Reform and the Road Ahead. The following video is the first in a two-part series of interviews conducted with a couple of the forum’s esteemed speakers. IHA had the chance to speak with Herb Kuhn, President and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association (Jefferson, MO), on how health care reform will impact states like Iowa and Missouri.

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Obama Begins Town Hall Meetings on Health Care Reform

President Obama will hold the first in a series of “tele-town hall” meetings today with seniors across the country. The president, joined by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, focus on the upcoming $250 rebates for seniors on Medicare who fall into the so-called prescription drug “donut hole.”

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Top Health Care Coverage Reform Concepts

• Single Payer: A single-payer health care system is one that would be the sole payer for health care as well as the sole provider for health insurance nationwide.
• Medicare-Like Coverage System: An expanded Medicare public health insurance option administered by the Federal Government.
• State-Run System: Give states the power to decide on methods aimed toward enacting universal health care coverage plans.
• Third-Party Administrators: A public health insurance option where multiple government-run regional third-party administrators would provide coverage.