The National Health Council provides a united voice to the more than 133 million people in America with a chronic disease or disability and their family caregivers.
11. Health Care Delivery System Reform A Value-based Health Care Delivery System Plan Design for People with Chronic Conditions Patient Care Team Health and Medical Research Decision Support Personal Predicaments, Rights & Preferences Comprehensive Assessment & Planning Tools Value-based Plan Design Reimbursement for Care Coordination
Thank you. I appreciate this opportunity to share the message of the National Health Council.
The National Health Council was formed in 1920 as a trade association for national voluntary health agencies â or VHAs. VHAs are also known as patient advocacy organizations. Youâll hear me use these terms interchangeably in my presentation. Today, the NHC membership is made up of more than 100 associations and businesses. Our mission is to provide a united voice for the more than 133 million people in this country with chronic diseases or disabilities, and their family caregivers.
What is unique about the NHC is that we bring together all segments of the health care community â patient groups, providers, health care insurers, and businesses â to work on the core, systemic issues of health care that affect all of us.
The work of the NHC is focused on three core areas: -- Improving the health of all people -- Increasing support for health research -- and strengthening the patient advocacy community
To accomplish our goals, we work as a team with our member organizations and companies. Our core membership is made up of approximately 50 national patient advocacy groups â both large organizations like the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and the American Cancer Society â and smaller groups, such as the Breast Cancer Network of Strength, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, and the Spina Bifida Association. In the professional category, we have as members such as the American Academy of Nursing, the American College of Cardiology, and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, among others. And the business and industry category includes major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.
In response to the needs of patients, the National Health Council launched an initiative we call it the Campaign to Put Patients First. Our goal is to mobilize people with chronic conditions, family caregivers, and the general public in support of key, systemic health policy objectives. We call them the Five Principles for Putting Patients First. Âź And they are: Cover Everyone Curb Costs Responsibly Abolish Exclusions for Pre-existing Conditions Eliminate Lifetime Caps on Benefits, and Ensure Access to Long-term and End-of-life Care
The Council ran advertisements last year in in USA Today , the Washington Post , the Wall Street Journal, Roll Call , and Politico newspapers. These ads focus on the need to eliminate the out-of-pocket cost barrier that is preventing patients from receiving the care they need. As we know, the out-of-pocket costsâ the price of a prescription drug or the co-pay for a doctorâs visit â can be a deterrent to receiving proper health care. This is especially true for people with chronic conditions who may be diagnosed with more than one disease and may be on multiple medications.
We also have dedicated a section of our website to the Campaign to Put Patients First and have been growing its outreach to the public and to the patient advocacy community.
An important part of the NHCâs work is influencing public policy. We have seen in numerous studies that changing the overarching framework of the delivery system is essential for meaningful health care reform. For that reason we have been talking to members of Congress and the Administration about the need for a delivery system that addresses the needs of people with chronic conditions. It would be an innovative delivery model that: Integrates care coordination Reduces out-of-pocket expenses Addresses individual patient preferences, and Utilizes the best available evidence at the point of care It would be a delivery system that incorporates both the public and private sector.
Thank you. I appreciate this opportunity to share the message of the National Health Council.