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Volume 354:2093-2095 May 18, 2006 Number 20 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Our health care system is a mess. The number of uninsured Americans is approaching 50 million. The costs of health insurance are too high, and they are rising rapidly. Polls repeatedly show that a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents favor universal health care coverage. The trouble is that we can't agree on a solution. The left wants to scrap the current system and substitute a government-financed single-payer program. The right supports consumer-directed health savings accounts and tax credits. More moderate elements on the right, such as Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, also favor requiring all persons to purchase health . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

Dr. Altman is dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and Dr. Doonan is the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum — both at Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass.

An interview with Dr. Altman can be heard at www.nejm.org.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sussman, T., Blendon, R. J., Campbell, A. L. (2009). Will Americans Support The Individual Mandate?. Health Aff (Millwood) 28: w501-w509 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wharam, J. F., Daniels, N. (2007). Toward Evidence-Based Policy Making and Standardized Assessment of Health Policy Reform. JAMA 298: 676-679 [Full Text]