ACP leaders urge consideration of presidential candidates' proposals for better US health care

Below please find a summary of new article that will be published today in Annals of Internal Medicine

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS

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Below please find a summary of a new article will be published today in Annals of Internal Medicine. Annals summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information.

1. ACP Leaders Urge Consideration of Presidential Candidates' Proposals for a Better U.S. Health Care System Full text: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-7089

As voters cast their ballots, it is important for them to know the health care proposals of the two presidential candidates and how they will address and improve the U.S. health care system especially in light of the problems with the system that have been underscored this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, say leaders from the American College of Physicians (ACP). In an opinion piece published in Annals of Internal Medicine today, they compared the proposals of President Donald Trump and former Vice-President Joe Biden, to ACP's comprehensive framework for improving health care in the U.S.

Better Is Possible: The American College of Physicians' Vision for the U.S. Health Care System was published (https://www.acpjournals.org/toc/aim/172/2_Supplement) earlier this year and lays out ACP's comprehensive, interconnected set of recommendations for systematic health care reforms. The series begins with an overview paper that seeks to answer the question, "what would a better health care system for all Americans look like?" An additional set of ACP policy papers address issues related to coverage and cost of care, health care payment and delivery systems, barriers to care and social determinants of health, and more.

The new piece begins by stating that "Health care in the United States costs too much, is unaffordable for too many, spends too much on administration, produces outcomes that are unfavorable compared to other countries, misaligns incentives with patient interests, and undervalues primary care and public health." It further notes that while ACP is a non-partisan physician-led member organization, they believe it is important to identify key differences in the candidates' policies on health care issues that affect patients. Throughout, they reference how the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on why these improvements need to be made.

The article compares ACP's healthcare vision to the views and public records of the candidates on eight different challenges facing the U.S. health care system including:

• Achieving universal health care coverage.
• Ensuring coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.
• All insurance plans including an essential health care benefit package emphasizing high-value care.
• Expansion of Medicaid to lower-income persons in all states.
• Prescription drug pricing.
• Physician payment reform that appropriately values primary care and cognitive care services.
• Decreasing health care administrative requirements and standardizing and streamlining billing and reporting.
• Equitable access to care regardless of an individual's personal characteristics or life circumstances.

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Media contacts: Please click the link to read the full text. To speak with someone from ACP, please contact Jacquelyn Blaser at jblaser@acponline.org or 202-261-4572.