As Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate prepared to release their version of the American Health Care Act on June 22, trade publication Modern Healthcare posted a commentary by Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension.
In his column, Tony expresses hope for a bipartisan approach to changing the U.S. healthcare system "in order to make certain that all Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare."
According to Tony, legislation is needed to stabilize the individual health insurance market, stem the tide of rising premiums and health plan withdrawals, and continue to ensure affordable, accessible care for all.
"At the end of the day, any legislation that goes to the president for his signature must increase access to affordable and quality care, not reduce it," he says.
Tony shares the three guiding principles that Ascension believes respond to the urgent needs in healthcare time and will move the country toward a sustainable, efficient and value-focused system:
- Strengthen and stabilize the individual insurance market to best serve all Americans.
- Preserve the safety net for those who need it most.
- Support the continued transformation of healthcare delivery.
"Given the unsustainability of our current level of healthcare spending, we should prioritize and preserve resources that enable us to move to value-based payment models as quickly as possible," Tony says. "Payment models that reward care coordination, prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, focus on population health and improve quality are the key to achieving lower costs in the long run."
Click here for the full commentary
