The Federation of American Hospitals released a proposal for a health plan to ensure health coverage for all Americans by building on what works in our system.
The health plan, entitled ?Health Coverage Passport,? would assist uninsured Americans who lack financial wherewithal to obtain coverage and assure all Americans access to the health coverage they need. At the same time, those with health insurance will be able to keep the coverage they have, and all Americans are expected to have coverage. With the adoption of the Federation?s Health Coverage Passport plan it is projected that 98 percent of Americans will be covered.
?Our Health Coverage Passport addresses the flaws in our system that have left so many Americans uninsured without unraveling the private and public coverage that so many Americans depend on today,? observed Federation President Chip Kahn. ?All Americans can be covered without turning the world upside down ? the Health Coverage Passport shows the way.?
?Today, one in six Americans are uninsured,? added Federation Chairman Victor L. Campbell (Senior Vice President, HCA). ?No one better understands the crisis of the uninsured than the hospitals they turn to for care. That?s why we developed this comprehensive, fair and reasonable plan to cover all Americans.?
The Federation today also released a new survey of registered voters that indicates strong support for the ?Health Coverage Passport? proposal and sends a strong signal that the American public wants policymakers to take action to cover all Americans. The survey identifies health care as the most important domestic issue for the President and Congress to address, and nearly four out of five (79 percent) of those surveyed said a Presidential candidate?s position on health coverage for the uninsured would affect their vote.