Health-care reform is one of the most urgent issues facing the United States today. The current system is marked by enormous disparities between services available to those with virtually unlimited resources and those who must pay for services directly. Among the options being considered is that of a single-collector, state-based system with universal access, effective cost control, administrative simplicity, re-allocation of services toward primary and preventive care, and a reduction in unnecessary services. A key element in such a plan is a politically independent Federal Health Board, which would be responsible for making decisions about the definition of a standard benefit plan to be provided to each American.

No abstract