Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and the Promise of Health Insurance Reform / Thomas C. Buchmueller, Alan C. Monheit.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Buchmueller, Thomas C.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Monheit, Alan C.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w14839.

NBER working paper series no. w14839

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2009.

Summary:

The central role that employers play in financing health care is a distinctive feature of the U.S. health care system, and the provision of health insurance through the workplace has important implications well beyond its role as source of health care financing. In this paper, we consider the "goodness of fit" of ESI in the current economic and health insurance environments and in light of prospects for a vigorous national debate over shape of health care reform. The main issue that we explore is whether ESI can have a viable role in health system reform efforts or whether such coverage will need to be significantly modified or even abandoned as reform seeks to address important issues in the efficient provision and equitable distribution of health insurance coverage, to create expanded health plan choices and competition in health insurance markets, and to structure incentives for the more efficient use of health services.

Notes:

Print version record

April 2009.