Session: American Health Planning Association President’s Session
3340.0: Monday, November 17, 2003: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
Oral
American Health Planning Association President’s Session
Title: Planning for a Rational, Equitable and Accessible Health System: Is Universal Health Insurance the Answer? The President’s Session is designed to prompt an informed dialog on the application of health planning principles to the resurgence of interest in universal health care insurance. Featured speakers will set the stage for the discussion by providing a synopsis of the growing health insurance crisis that is occurring across America. Critical issues affecting Americans are: 1) the growing numbers of uninsured; 2) the demise of affordable health care coverage; 3) the overcrowding of hospital emergency departments; and 4) the increasing levels of health disparities that plague our nation today. The session will summarize these findings and describe viable solutions that are being implemented and pilot tested across the country. Comparisons will be drawn to the Canadian Health Care System and other contemporary universal access models currently in place or under consideration by leading health care experts and elected officials. Factors to be considered: 1) fairness/equity among different groups; 2) the cost-effectiveness of the selected proposals/programs, inclusive of cost containment measures; 3) quality of life indicators; and 4) the impact of reforms to the working uninsured and children. Several planning positions taken by AHPA on Access to Care and Health Care Costs, as well and the National Public Health Performance Standards will be reviewed in the context of the models presented. Finally, two models (one public and a public/private partnership) for assuring access will be featured as illustrations of best practices in the field of health care insurance coverage and provision of a seamless standard of care for all.
Learning Objectives: Participants will understand: 1) the increasing numbers of those uninsured, 2) the changes and loss of affordable health care, 3)the current desperate situaiton and shortages in emergency care and 4) the growing disparaties in health care
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organizer(s):Sonya R. Albury, MSW
Moderator(s):Sonya R. Albury, MSW
4:30 PMForces impacting access to health care services
Karen Cameron, MHA
4:50 PMMassachusetts Medical Security Program (MSP): Health insurance for the unemployed
Mara Yerow, MPH, CHE
5:10 PMModels that work: Planning for universal health care coverage
Sonya R. Albury, MSW
Organized by:Community Health Planning and Policy Development
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA