Public Policy Positions of VtPHA

Health Access

Universal Coverage..

About two-thirds of Americans under age 65 have health insurance coverage either through their own jobs or that of a parent or spouse. To close the remaining gap, incremental expansions of public insurance programs have targeted discrete population groups, bringing health insurance to seniors through Medicare, and to poor adults and children through Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP). Despite these and other federal and state initiatives, more than 43 million people in the United States are uninsured. Only by making coverage universal for all people living in the United States will the sizeable gap in coverage that persists be closed.

The Vermont Public Health Association believes that health insurance coverage should be extended to all Americans. Under a reformed health care system, coverage should be:

• universal, covering everyone, not just certain segments of the population
• continuous, in order to promote better care and outcomes
• affordable to individuals and families
• affordable and sustainable for society, given the likely high cost
• effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered, and equitable

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