Principles of Health Care Financing

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates that all children must have health insurance coverage that ensures them access to affordable and comprehensive quality care. Access to care depends on the design and implementation of payment systems that ensure the economic viability of the medical home; support and grow the professional pediatric workforce; promote the adoption and implementation of health information technology; enhance medical education, training, and research; and encourage and reward quality-improvement programs that advance and strengthen the medical home. Health insurance plans must be portable from state to state, with administrative procedures to eliminate breaks and gaps in coverage to ensure continuous coverage from year to year. Plans should ensure free choice of clinicians and foster coordination with public and private community-based programs for infants, children, and adolescents through the age of 26. The scope of services provided by all health plans must include preventive, acute and chronic illness, behavioral, inpatient, emergency, and home health care. These plans must be affordable and have cost-sharing policies that protect patients and families from financial strain and are without risk of loss of benefits because of plan design, current illness, or preexisting condition.