Policy Advancement: Health and Medical Care
The Citizens League is advancing medical care policy based on the 2006 study committee report "Developing Informed Decisions." The Citizens League believes that we need a long-term effort to develop an informed consumer voice in the market for medical care by ensuring that all consumers have sufficient information about the supply and demand for medical facilities and the quality of care provided in them.
Medical is a Supplier-Driven Market
The Citizens League found that the market for medical care is "supplier-driven," meaning that the balance between suppliers and consumers is tipped in favor of medical suppliers, which can result in more use of medical services and higher cost, whether or not quality is improved.
Information is Not Sufficient for a Functioning Market
The Citizens League concluded that information regarding medical facilities and services is not sufficient for a functioning market or an effective regulatory approach. Consumers aren't informed enough to get good value out of the system when it comes to medical facilities and services, and suppliers compete to offer high-reimbursement services.
Opportunity to Advance Major Reform
The Citizens League is generally supportive of the work of the Governor's Health Care Transformation Task Force (of which Citizens League executive director Sean Kershaw was a member).
In particular, we strongly support the provisions to build the necessary information system and governance structure to advance true reform and create a functioning market in medical care. We believe this is absolutely essential for any other reform attempts to work.
If we do not make a major effort to establish a functional, long-term market in medical care, then we are left with few other choices besides the unsustainable status quo or more regulation.
We also understand the need for a comprehensive approach to reform the policies around health and medical care. Based on the January 30 advancement meeting, the Citizens League has evaluated more specific positions on other areas of the Transformation Task Force work in the context of our historic policy work on health care. See the March-April issue of the Minnesota Journal and the April 2008 column written by co-chairs Duane Benson and Peter Gove.
Resources
- April 2008 column written by co-chairs Duane Benson and Peter Gove
- March-April MN Journal
- Current legislation (Senate File 3099 and House File 3391)
- Download the above text as a one-pager (from the Policy Open House, Feb. 28, 2008, pdf format)
- Bob DeBoer's blog on January 24, 2008
- Developing Informed Decisions: Seeking Market Reforms to Advise Medical Facilities Expansion, the report of our 2006 study committee on medical facilities
Member advancement meetings
January 30, 2008- Meeting agenda (pdf)
- Meeting overview language (pdf)
- Letter supporting the Transformation Task Force (pdf)