Building a better health care system is a multi-faceted task. It involves issues of access, quality and cost. And it involves all aspects of the health care delivery system. WellPoint believes it is essential for policymakers to take a common-sense approach to address each of these areas.

There are vital principles that must apply to our health reform efforts:

• It is not acceptable for 46 million Americans to be without health insurance. WellPoint is a principal advocate for well-structured reforms that would guarantee access to affordable health insurance for every American, with no one denied coverage for pre-existing conditions.
• Every patient who sees a doctor or is admitted to a hospital must receive high quality care. Today, 30 cents of every health care dollar goes toward redundant or inappropriate care (Wennberg, 2003).  Health reform must give every patient access to the best and most appropriate treatment.
• Health care must be safe. Medical errors and drug safety events are causing patients to spend up to two million extra days in the hospital, generating $9 billion in avoidable costs.

Even before health reform legislation is in place, WellPoint is focusing on these principles with new innovations in e-prescribing, health information technology and pay-for-performance initiatives.

Some believe fixing our nation’s health care system requires expanding the federal government’s reach into hospitals, doctor’s offices and the health care marketplace through a government-run health insurance program.

We, along with millions of Americans, don’t share this idea.

Today, the average family of four pays nearly $1,800 each year in extra health care costs because privately-insured people bear the burden of Medicare and Medicaid paying less than the actual cost of care. Pushing more patients into taxpayer-funded health insurance programs would only raise costs higher for everyone else. That’s the type of reform nobody needs.

We are urging Congress to embrace these core principles in health reform. Accessibility, quality, cost efficiency, innovation – the kind of health reform America needs.