A special issue of Health Management, Policy and Innovation (HMPI) included 10 articles centered on the reformation of the American Healthcare system. Healthcare is a big topic for the upcoming 2020 elections, and a source of major disagreements across political parties as well as within them. In the ten articles, policy analysts and top business scholars recommend ways to increase bipartisan buy-in. Cost transparency, measured patient health outcomes, public insurance options, and great competition are chief among these suggestions.
In the event a Democrat wins the presidency but Republicans maintain control of the Senate, these ideas that both parties can agree on are necessary. Possible solutions came from a number of institutions including Harvard Business School, Stanford University, the American Enterprise Institute, Baylor University, and the Wharton School.
Their prominent proposals, in detail, suggest:
- Distributing decision-making, like issuing block grants to states that are subject to national objectives.
- Fostering competition between private, non-profit, and public insurers and providers, with an option for securing government-run health insurance.
- Shifting focus from short-term treatment to long-term decision-making.
- Mandating disclosure and measurement of pricing, cost, healthcare processes, health outcomes, and quality-cost combinations.
“It is time that the U.S. – one of the strongest healthcare innovators globally, if not the strongest – takes a global lead in creating a healthcare system that offers a robust combination of access, quality and cost-effectiveness,” said Will Mitchell, Professor of Business at the University of Toronto, Duke University Faculty Member, and HMPI editor. “We believe that the ideas in this issue will generate conversations that can lead to strong solutions with bipartisan support.”
HMPI is published by the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), a consortium of 17 top business school health management programs.
