Title: Citizens Health Care Working Group
Author:
Section/SPIG: Community Health Planning and Policy Development
Issue Date:
The Citizens Health Care Working Group (CHCWG) is a national panel created by the 2003 Medicare law. Its charge is to engage Americans over the next two years in “a nationwide public debate about improving the health care system to provide every American with the ability to obtain quality, affordable, health care coverage.” In March 2005, it began its 2-year process of organizing public debate on how to get "Health Care that Works for All Americans." The Working Group will sponsor community meetings nationwide starting this fall as well as electronic means for public input. Its final recommendations are due out in the spring of 2007.
Questions posed by the Working Group for citizen input are:
- What health care benefits and services should be provided?
- How does the American public want health care delivered?
- How should health care coverage be financed?
- What trade-offs are the American public willing to make in either benefits or financing to ensure access to affordable, high quality health care coverage and services?
It is important that public health advocates participate in these community forums. The CHCWG meeting schedule has not yet been announced, but the first meeting is expected to be scheduled for the latter part of October, and meetings will likely continue through the first half of next year. The Working Group will develop a set of recommendations based on the feedback from community meetings on:
- Health care coverage.
- Ways to improve and strengthen the health care system.
Following a public comment period, the Working Group will submit a final set of recommendations to Congress and the President. Visit the Citizens Health Care Working Group Web site for more details.