Our Purpose
The Building Blocks of Health Reform
The Building Blocks of Health Reform is designed to help people and policymakers understand and solve key policy questions that need to be answered in any proposal to expand access to care and improve our system.
We know people will prefer different solutions when it comes to health care reform. Whether it’s block granting funding to states, creating a Medicare for All system, or any of the myriad other ideas being debated, the Building Blocks of Health Reform identifies the decisions that need to be made in any health reform proposal and the tools and analysis to help make those decisions.
Building Blocks of Health Reform Framework v1.0
USofCare has identified the core components, or Building Blocks, in our current system. We are collecting examples and evidence on how well today’s approaches are meeting people’s needs. These Building Blocks rest on top of the $3.5 trillion American health care system. No matter where this funding comes from, the following policy questions need to be answered:
Benefits and costs for Consumers: How do people select coverage and access care?
This Block outlines key considerations for consumers as they navigate the system, including the benefits that are covered, how coverage is structured, and how much people can afford to pay.
Management of administrative functions: How are the core functions that make our system run carried out?
This Block identifies the important activities undertaken by health insurers and other entities that make our system run, from building networks of health care providers to coding, paying and managing claims.
Sustainable approaches to Provider Payments: How are health care providers paid for the work they do?
This Block lays out different options for setting provider rates and incorporates delivery system reforms, innovations, and value-based payments to ensure the system is sustainable long-term.
Our work is a repository for evidence and research packaged in a framework. Policymakers can use our online tool to quickly find examples of policy in practice and evidence on how well a particular approach actually works.
Looking ahead
Building Blocks 1.0 is the beginning of our work. Other Building Blocks not yet added pose important questions to explore, from how care is delivered and the workforce that delivers it, how we pay for drugs and other therapeutics, and ultimately, how the system keeps people healthy and cares for them when they are patients.
We’re creating new tools to help policymakers and people better understand the choices in the system and the tradeoffs that inevitably arise. We know that people often know best about what they want their health care to look like, and incorporating these priorities into policymaking will ultimately be essential for success.
Help us keep building
Do you want to be engaged with the Building Block of Health Reform? Constructing this framework relies on feedback and input from everyone. We are constantly looking to YOU to add evidence and provide feedback on our current framework and where it should go next. If you have feedback, evidence, or data to add to the framework, please let us know.
learn more at unitedstatesofcare.org
©2019 United States of Care Campaign