National Physicians Alliance (NPA)

Healthcare

Universal Health Care: Achieving Quality, Affordable Health Care for All
Summary: The health care “system” in America is sick and the time for change is long overdue. Many analysts observe that America does not have a health care system, but rather “a collection of loosely linked systems,” as stated by noted health policy expert Henry Aaron. The uncoordinated influence of various stakeholders in these systems tends to prioritize their wealth over the health of the American people. The National Physicians Alliance calls for fundamental change and the creation of a coordinated system that will cover all Americans.

Restoring Integrity and Trust in Medicine
Summary: The American health care system and our medical profession sit at a crossroads. Perverse incentives threaten access to care, erode communities’ shared responsibility for health, and jeopardize the relationship between physicians and patients. Inspired physician leadership is needed to overcome these great challenges.

Health Savings Accounts Harm Patients Health
Summary: Patients today are paying for a larger and larger share of their health care; millions of Americans file for a medically related bankruptcy yearly. Health savings accounts make this situation even worse by shifting the financial burden onto everyday Americans and forcing those who use medical care to pay more when they need it most. These plans benefit influential insurers and payers, but patients who do not have high incomes or those with chronic health problems will find themselves with little financial protection. Furthermore, these plans discourage the use of preventive health care. This new burden on patients has been inappropriately marketed as “consumer-driven” health care. The NPA, in contrast, seeks to establish true patient-centered health care by resisting the move toward health savings accounts and prioritizing accessible, high quality health care for all people.

The Sale of Physician Prescribing Data Raises Health Care Costs
Summary: Pharmacies compile databases that show how many and which medications individual physicians prescribe; these databases are sold to Healthcare Information Organizations (HIOs). HIOs combine this information with data from the Physician Masterfile, purchased from the American Medical Association (AMA).

Reforming Malpractice, Promoting Safety
Summary: The medical malpractice system in the United States is broken. The high cost of malpractice premiums has garnered the most attention in the media, but patients who have been injured as a result of negligence have also been ill-served by the system. Fewer than 5 out of every 100 patients injured by negligence is compensated. On the other hand, many of the malpractice suits brought against doctors don’t actually involve any negligence at all.

Eliminating Health Disparities: Improving Global Access to Health Care
Summary: The global shortage of health care workers is felt most acutely in the developing world, with an estimated deficit of 2.4 million doctors, nurses, and midwives. The burden of debt, among other factors, has lowered the priority given to the health sector in many developing countries. As a result, many poor countries face weak health sector infrastructure and poor or absent training programs for health professionals. In addition to a baseline dearth of trained health care providers, poor, AIDS-burdened countries shoulder the added burden of losing doctors and nurses to wealthier nations.