Do We Need National Health Standards?
Dennis AuBuchon
February 09, 2010
There are many questions surrounding healthcare reform. What healthcare reform will be is yet to be seen. Some of the issues seem to surround the concept of creating national health standards. Examples of national standards are buying insurance across state lines and preventing insurance companies from barring patients with pre-existing conditions. These issues fall closely in the realm of national standards for healthcare as they are not restricted to specific states.
Creating any national standard especially in healthcare will be a difficult task in many instances. There does appear to be common ground and in these instances it will be more easily accomplished. The key is to not trump state rights and responsibilities when creating such standards. I wish to make clear that I am not for increased federal government involvement in the healthcare industry or any other. However, I feel the federal government does have a place and some responsibilities in establishing standards that benefit all citizens. The rights of states and the responsibilities of the federal government seem to have become blurred in recent years but states have specific rights granted to them by the Constitution.
The issue of healthcare reform has been a topic which Congress has focused on during the last year. While the current situation is to put healthcare reform on the back burner it is one which will not go away until adequate changes are made to this segment of society. The key in any healthcare reform legislation from the federal government is to assure states rights are not violated. States have distinct responsibilities to protect their citizens and create conditions for various businesses that operate within it. There is a fine line between establishing consistent guidelines or requirements by the federal government and the rights of states to regulate businesses for the protection within it.
The healthcare system we currently have is overall not a bad one. While there are many things which need to be addressed in healthcare reform legislation we must not change those aspects that work great. Change is a good thing only if the right changes are made. It has been said in the past if it is not broke do not fix it. Clearly our healthcare system is in need of adjustment concerning such things as the cost of healthcare and the quality of it. This does not imply that quality healthcare does not exist because it does. Parts of our healthcare system work great and those portions that do work should not be altered by legislation being considered.
Healthcare reform is a hot topic today and while there are many issues they are not likely to all get resolved in one document. There are just too many and many are controversial which makes them more difficult to pass Congress. The present state of the economic situation makes passing any legislation on the magnitude of healthcare reform a difficult task. Each of our Senators and Representatives has their opinion on what they feel needs to be done and many have good ideas and others not so good. In any legislation I feel there are going to be controversial issues and not everyone will be satisfied with the outcome. That being said it is important for Congress to make the right decisions for the right reasons while addressing the cost of enacting the legislation.
As mentioned earlier in this article our health care system overall is not a bad one but it is also one that needs to be changed to make improvements. One such change and question to be asked is whether there should be a national health standard by which all insurance companies must operate. If a need for such initiative exists Congress is the right mechanism to enact such standards. National standards are not something new but when it comes to our health system it is something difficult to enact. Each state has established rules and regulations, and it is within their rights, by which health insurance companies must operate. Enacting legislation that would trump state requirements is something that should be avoided. This can be a matter of opinion. States have certain rights within their jurisdictions and any federal legislation whether it be healthcare or something else the rights of states should not be affected.
Healthcare is a significant portion of our economy and many individuals are involved in the healthcare industry. This includes not only health insurance companies but doctors, hospitals, drug companies and many others. Creating or revising any national health standards must be done with caution. Our elected representatives and senators must consider the impact of any changes that will affect those making a living in the healthcare industry. There is an organization in existence today that addresses and creates some measure of health standards. This organization is the National Health Council and it addresses requirements for the care of patients with chronic diseases and disabilities. It has strict rules for membership and it enforces those rules to assure members live up to the standards established for its members.
It appears that no national health standards currently exist but the purpose of the National Health Council appears to be to establish some requirements for healthcare organizations in caring for a specific patient population. Everyone wants the best healthcare for their families and establishing at least minimum standards for healthcare providers would provide consistent care throughout the country. In discussing the creation of national health standards it is important to remember the purpose of national standards. A standard is a document, established by consensus that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. One example of a standard is the national electric code for the safe installation of electrical wiring. Other examples are the size of film, or light bulbs.
Having national standards is great but it is how those standards are created that may make the difference. National standards can be created voluntarily or they can be enacted by legislation. When a national standard is created voluntarily it is done so by consensus of those affected by it. The key is to make sure that the best interest of those affected by the standards such as consumers is a positive one such as the examples in the previous paragraph. To have credibility an organization does exist to certify or accredit voluntary national standards to be recognized worldwide. It is the American National Standards Institute. It is a not-for-profit organization and was founded October 19, 1918. The purpose is to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and U.S. quality of products by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity.
It is important to understand that any national standards created must have the objective of having a positive impact on those who will be impacted. In the case of health care standards the quality of care patients receive must be considered in any standard created. We have a great health care system and any reform legislation enacted must make positive changes. This not only means addressing the uninsured but also the quality and cost of the healthcare received by patients. Let us hope the final healthcare reform legislation will make positive changes for conditions which must be changed and leave those aspects that presently work great untouched.
One last point to make is that any national standard created or conditions in healthcare reform legislation should strengthen the healthcare requirements already in place within states. Healthcare reform legislation that is created should create consistent rules and regulations regardless of the location of a health insurance provider or insurance companies. Having minimum standards that apply across state lines would be great and states could implement additional conditions for the benefit of their citizens. Some may feel this is contradictory but it really is not. Legislation that applies specific conditions that health insurance companies must follow or provide across state lines would not in my opinion trump states rights.
Creating any national standard especially in healthcare will be a difficult task in many instances. There does appear to be common ground and in these instances it will be more easily accomplished. The key is to not trump state rights and responsibilities when creating such standards. I wish to make clear that I am not for increased federal government involvement in the healthcare industry or any other. However, I feel the federal government does have a place and some responsibilities in establishing standards that benefit all citizens. The rights of states and the responsibilities of the federal government seem to have become blurred in recent years but states have specific rights granted to them by the Constitution.
The issue of healthcare reform has been a topic which Congress has focused on during the last year. While the current situation is to put healthcare reform on the back burner it is one which will not go away until adequate changes are made to this segment of society. The key in any healthcare reform legislation from the federal government is to assure states rights are not violated. States have distinct responsibilities to protect their citizens and create conditions for various businesses that operate within it. There is a fine line between establishing consistent guidelines or requirements by the federal government and the rights of states to regulate businesses for the protection within it.
The healthcare system we currently have is overall not a bad one. While there are many things which need to be addressed in healthcare reform legislation we must not change those aspects that work great. Change is a good thing only if the right changes are made. It has been said in the past if it is not broke do not fix it. Clearly our healthcare system is in need of adjustment concerning such things as the cost of healthcare and the quality of it. This does not imply that quality healthcare does not exist because it does. Parts of our healthcare system work great and those portions that do work should not be altered by legislation being considered.
Healthcare reform is a hot topic today and while there are many issues they are not likely to all get resolved in one document. There are just too many and many are controversial which makes them more difficult to pass Congress. The present state of the economic situation makes passing any legislation on the magnitude of healthcare reform a difficult task. Each of our Senators and Representatives has their opinion on what they feel needs to be done and many have good ideas and others not so good. In any legislation I feel there are going to be controversial issues and not everyone will be satisfied with the outcome. That being said it is important for Congress to make the right decisions for the right reasons while addressing the cost of enacting the legislation.
As mentioned earlier in this article our health care system overall is not a bad one but it is also one that needs to be changed to make improvements. One such change and question to be asked is whether there should be a national health standard by which all insurance companies must operate. If a need for such initiative exists Congress is the right mechanism to enact such standards. National standards are not something new but when it comes to our health system it is something difficult to enact. Each state has established rules and regulations, and it is within their rights, by which health insurance companies must operate. Enacting legislation that would trump state requirements is something that should be avoided. This can be a matter of opinion. States have certain rights within their jurisdictions and any federal legislation whether it be healthcare or something else the rights of states should not be affected.
Healthcare is a significant portion of our economy and many individuals are involved in the healthcare industry. This includes not only health insurance companies but doctors, hospitals, drug companies and many others. Creating or revising any national health standards must be done with caution. Our elected representatives and senators must consider the impact of any changes that will affect those making a living in the healthcare industry. There is an organization in existence today that addresses and creates some measure of health standards. This organization is the National Health Council and it addresses requirements for the care of patients with chronic diseases and disabilities. It has strict rules for membership and it enforces those rules to assure members live up to the standards established for its members.
It appears that no national health standards currently exist but the purpose of the National Health Council appears to be to establish some requirements for healthcare organizations in caring for a specific patient population. Everyone wants the best healthcare for their families and establishing at least minimum standards for healthcare providers would provide consistent care throughout the country. In discussing the creation of national health standards it is important to remember the purpose of national standards. A standard is a document, established by consensus that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. One example of a standard is the national electric code for the safe installation of electrical wiring. Other examples are the size of film, or light bulbs.
Having national standards is great but it is how those standards are created that may make the difference. National standards can be created voluntarily or they can be enacted by legislation. When a national standard is created voluntarily it is done so by consensus of those affected by it. The key is to make sure that the best interest of those affected by the standards such as consumers is a positive one such as the examples in the previous paragraph. To have credibility an organization does exist to certify or accredit voluntary national standards to be recognized worldwide. It is the American National Standards Institute. It is a not-for-profit organization and was founded October 19, 1918. The purpose is to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and U.S. quality of products by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity.
It is important to understand that any national standards created must have the objective of having a positive impact on those who will be impacted. In the case of health care standards the quality of care patients receive must be considered in any standard created. We have a great health care system and any reform legislation enacted must make positive changes. This not only means addressing the uninsured but also the quality and cost of the healthcare received by patients. Let us hope the final healthcare reform legislation will make positive changes for conditions which must be changed and leave those aspects that presently work great untouched.
One last point to make is that any national standard created or conditions in healthcare reform legislation should strengthen the healthcare requirements already in place within states. Healthcare reform legislation that is created should create consistent rules and regulations regardless of the location of a health insurance provider or insurance companies. Having minimum standards that apply across state lines would be great and states could implement additional conditions for the benefit of their citizens. Some may feel this is contradictory but it really is not. Legislation that applies specific conditions that health insurance companies must follow or provide across state lines would not in my opinion trump states rights.
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