Publisher's Letter

Abstract

From The Publisher Health AffairsVol. 11, No. 4 Publisher's LetterWilliam B. WalshPUBLISHED:Winter 1992Free Accesshttps://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.11.4.4AboutSectionsView PDFPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsDownload Exhibits TOPICSCosts and spendingOrganization of careAccess to care With Bill Clinton's election as president, he must deliver on what he promised the American people and, indeed, what a plurality voted for: “change.” Exit polling determined that voters' primary concerns were what Clinton accurately recognized them to be: the economy, health care, and education. Each of these is intertwined with the others, with no solutions available that will not cost money and/or require sacrifice by the American people. Since Health Affairs was founded eleven years ago, its overriding objective has been to serve as “a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the serious exploration of domestic and international health policy issues.” We have sought to remain above the philosophical fray by not embracing one particular ideology but instead serving as a forum for all relevant views. Nevertheless, we certainly recognize that the growth of health care costs must be moderated in a way that does not diminish the quality of delivered services. The challenge is how to develop a policy that is consonant with American values and that structures new incentives to encourage economy in the use of medical care, without undue reliance on governmental regulation. The Clinton administration's task of designing and introducing its reform plan, much less enacting it, within 100 days will be a tall order. Health care issues are so complex that proceeding more deliberately may pay dividends in shaping a legislative package and winning its enactment. After all, there are many strengths in the American system, and doing damage to them would only jeopardize the new president's reform efforts. A first priority must be to provide all citizens with access to a basic set of health services. A second priority may well be to make consumers more sensitive to the high cost of care. At this challenging moment in the nation's history, we wish President-elect Clinton the very best in his efforts to enact health system reforms that reflect the diversity of America and its belief in public/private partnerships. Loading Comments... Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DetailsExhibitsReferencesRelated Article Metrics History Published online 1 January 1992 InformationCopyright © by Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.PDF download