Alliance of Health Groups Offers Plan to Lower Costs, Improve Care

The National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) recently released a plan for health and fiscal policy at the National Press Club in Washington. The national alliance of consumers, providers and payers introduced a plan that pairs nearly $500 billion in spending reductions and health-related revenues with longer-term policy changes designed to make health care affordable in the public and private sectors.

The 50-page plan, “Curbing Costs, Improving Care: The Path to an Affordable Health Care Future,” outlines a seven-part strategy:

1. Change provider incentives to reward value, not volume.
2. Encourage patient and consumer engagement.
3. Use market competition to increase value.
4. Ensure that the highest-cost patients receive high-value, coordinated care.
5. Bolster the primary care workforce.
6. Reduce errors, fraud, and administrative overhead.
7. Invest in prevention and population health.

NCHC’s recommendations include $220.97 billion in reduced federal spending and $276 billion in health-related revenue. However, NCHC proposes pairing budget savings with broader reforms. “Ten-year budget savings have to be coupled with strategies for long-term sustainability: transitioning from fee-for-service, engaging consumers in their care and coverage choices, investing in our non-physician workforce as well as doctors, and crafting a medical liability system that supports patient safety,” said Former U.S. Senator David Durenberger, past chair of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and a member of NCHC’s Board of Directors.