Principles for Quality Health Insurance Issued by American Cancer Society
6/8/2007 web-based article staff eMaxHealth.com The American Cancer Society yesterday issued four principles that define meaningful health insurance and highlight major problems in the health care system that are impeding progress against cancer and other major diseases. The four principles of quality health insurance will guide the Society and its sister advocacy organization, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN), in efforts to improve access to quality care for those with cancer. The principles, which were released at a Capitol Hill briefing, state that health insurance should be: * Adequate - Access is timely and coverage offers the full range of evidence-based health care services, including prevention and early detection and supportive needs, including acute treatment with access to clinical trials, chronic disease management and palliative care. * Affordable - Total costs are not excessive and are based on the patient's ability to pay for health insurance. * Available - Health Insurance Coverage is available regardless of health status or claims history, and it is renewable and continuous. * Administratively simple - Health Insurance Benefits, financial liability, billing procedures and processes for filing claims are easy to understand, and consumers are able to compare plans when making choices about health insurance. "Forty-six million Americans lack health insurance today, and millions of others have coverage that is inadequate when facing cancer or another major health crisis," said Daniel E. Smith, president of ACS CAN. "Merely having insurance may not be enough during a health crisis you may be insured, [...]