Why Public Programs Matter — And Will Continue to Matter — Even after Health Reform

Caitlin A. , “Health Spending in 2006,” Health Affairs 27, no. 1 (2008): 14–29, at 23.

Association of American Medical Colleges, Medicare Payments for Graduate Medical Education: What Every Medical Student, Resident, and Advisor Needs to Know (Washington, D.C.: AAMC, 2006).

Harris D. M. , “Beyond Beneficiaries: Using the Medicare Program to Accomplish Broader Public Goals,” Washington and Lee Law Review 60, no. 4 (2003): 1251–1314 at 1271–85.

United States National Health Insurance Act (H.R. 676) (introduced in the 110th Congress by Representative Conyers (D-MI) on January 24, 2007).

AmeriCare Health Care Act of 2007 (H.R. 1841) (introduced in the 110th Congress by Representative Stark (D-CA) on March 29, 2007).

Healthy Americans Act (S. 334) (introduced in the 110th Congress by Senator Wyden (D-OR) on January 18, 2007).

Emanuel E. J. Fuchs V. R. , “A Comprehensive Cure: Universal Health Care Vouchers,” paper commissioned by the Hamilton Project, Brookings Institution, and submitted July 2007, available at <http://www.brookings.edu/papers/20077∼/media/Files/rc/papers/2007/07useconomics_emanuel/200707emanuel_fuchs.pdf> (last visited September 9, 2008).

Collins S. R. Kriss J. L. , “Envisioning the Future: The 2008 Presidential Candidates' Health Reform Proposals,” The Commonwealth Fund, 2008, available at <http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Collins_envisioningfuture2008candplans_1092.pdf?section=4039> (last visited September 9, 2008).

Kaiser Family Foundation, Ask the Experts: A Public Plan Option Under Health Reform , May 1, 2008, transcript available at <http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=2578> (last visited September 9, 2008).

In November of 2007, 41% of respondents to a Gallup national poll favored a government-run health care system. See <http://www.pollingreport.com/health3.htm> (last visited September 9, 2008).

See Mann C. Lambrew J. , The Role of Medicaid in the Context of a Restructured Health Care System (Washington, D.C.: New America Foundation 2005).

Nearly 2 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries have incomes below 200% of the poverty level, Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicare Chartbook (Washington, D.C.: KFF, 2005): at 6.

See America's Health Insurance Plans, January 2008 Census Shows 6.1 Million People Covered by HSA/High-Deductible Health Plans, 2008, available at <http://www.ahipresearch.org/pdfs/2008_HSA_Census.pdf> (last visited September 9, 2008).

Fronstin P. Collins S. R. , The 2nd Annual Findings from the 2007 EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey, 2008, at 26–29, available at <http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Fronstin_consumerism_survey_2007_issue_brief_FINAL.pdf?section=4039> (last visited September 9, 2008); Lee T. H. Zapert K. , “Do High-Deductible Health Plans Threaten Quality of Care?” New England Journal of Medicine 353, no. 12 (2005): 1202–1204.

Ku L. , Comparing Public and Private Health Insurance for Children (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2007), available at <http://www.cbpp.org/5-11-07health.pdf.> (last visited September 9, 2008).

See Catlin , supra note 1, at 27.

The Medicare end stage renal dialysis program also involves expensive chronic care, and should be included in such a program.

See Gleckman H. , Financing Long-Term Care: Lessons from Abroad (Boston: Center for Retirement Research, 2007, available at <http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/ib_7–8.pdf> (last visited September 9, 2008).

An alternative approach could be a public reinsurance program that would take over the funding of health care from private insurance once costs reached a “catastrophic” level. See Swartz K. , Reinsuring Health: Why More Middle-Class People Are Uninsured and What Government Can Do about It? (New York: Russell Sage, 2006).

See W. K. Kellogg Foundation, School-Based Health Care Policy Program, described at <http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=316&NID=61&LanguageID=0> (last visited September 9, 2008).

Kaiser Family Foundation/Guttmacher Institute, Medicaid's Role in Family Planning, 2007, available at <http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/upload/7064_03.pdf> (last visited September 9, 2008).

Rosenbaum S. Wise P. H. , “Crossing the Medicaid-Private Insurance Divide: The Case of EPSDT,” Health Affairs 26, no. 2 (2007) 382–393.

Rosenbaum S. , Medicaid and Defined Contribution Plans and Limited Benefit Arrangements: Implications for Medicaid Beneficiaries, September 2006, available at <http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/chsrp/downloads/Rosenbaum_AHIP_FNL_091306.pdf> (last visited September 9, 2008).

Statement of V. Gottlich, Senior Policy Attorney, Center for Medicare Advocacy, “Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Ways and Means,” June 21, 2007, available at <http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=6168> (last visited September 9, 2008).