Health care reform: the case for a primary care imperative.
One of the major goals of health reform is assuring financial access to a basic benefits package for all U.S. citizens, while maintaining better health at a contained rate of growth in costs. In questioning the ability of the Clinton Health Security Act to achieve this goal, the article presents a rationale for the consideration of those aspects of organizational reform that are necessary to achieve a primary care orientation that would meet such a goal. The author cautions that reform proposals that focus primarily on the financing of services are unlikely to influence the organizational reorientation from a specialty focus to a primary care imperative.
Starfield
B
B
Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008511:Medicine; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D013038:Specialization; D014481:United States