ANA's Principles of Health System Reform

  • The current fragmented and costly U.S. health care system is in a state of crisis and stands as evidence of the futility of patchwork approaches to health system reform.

  • Health care is a basic human right – all people are entitled to ready access to affordable, high-quality health care services. Care should not be conditioned on income, job status, health status, geographic location, race, gender, ethnicity or any other "qualifier."

  • A restructured health care system must ensure that everyone has access to a standard package of essential healthcare services.

  • Accessible, affordable and high-quality health care will strengthen our health as individuals and our collective society’s well-being and productivity.

  • An adequate supply of registered nurses is necessary for an effective and affordable health care system. The impact of the current nursing shortage will intensify as aging Baby Boomers place increased demands on the system. Advanced practice registered nurses must be utilized to expand access to high-quality primary care.

  • The six Institute of Medicine (IOM) standards for a quality health care system (See link below) – safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable – must be pillars of any comprehensive reform proposal.

  • The nation must increase its investment in community-based primary care, wellness and prevention services, as well as chronic disease management, to reduce the need for more costly and technology-driven emergency, medical and surgical treatments in hospitals.

  • Reform must reduce the rate of health care cost growth in the long term. A public health insurance plan will provide a coverage option and help control costs. Ultimately, a single-payer health care system is the most desirable financing mechanism.

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