Internist group advances universal coverage proposal

ACP-ASIM is seeking feedback before it finalizes its plan for expanding health care coverage to all Americans.

By Amy Snow Landa, AMNews staff. Dec. 17, 2001.

Washington -- The American College of Physicians--American Society of Internal Medicine has developed a draft plan that recommends steps Congress should take over seven years to provide all Americans with access to affordable health insurance.

The 115,000-member organization released the plan Nov. 26 and is seeking comment on the proposal from the AMA, other physician groups and consumer organizations such as Families USA.

The proposal's recommendations include elements that are part of the AMA's own universal coverage plan -- such as providing income-related tax credits for the purchase of health coverage.

But ACP-ASIM's proposal also offers a seven-year, sequential timetable for expanding coverage on an incremental basis, starting with the most vulnerable populations.

"There is no realistic prospect that Congress will soon enact legislation to guarantee immediate coverage to everyone," the group explains in its proposal. "Therefore, it is fully consistent with the college's commitment to affordable health care coverage for all for us to support policies that will provide coverage now to some of the uninsured population, rather than take the untenable position that nothing should be done until agreement is reached on a plan to cover everyone."

Under its proposal, ACP-ASIM says all Americans would have access to affordable health care coverage by Jan. 1, 2009.

The plan suggests that Congress first establish a national advisory commission to assess the impact of earlier health coverage reforms and report to Congress on further steps that could be taken. [...]