Summary

• Preventable diseases will significantly increase morbidity and mortality for children and adults, and financial costs for all contributors to the health care system, over the next few decades.

• Texas is the uninsured capital of America. The uninsured pay the physical price; all of us pay the fiscal price. Roughly half the cost of caring for this huge portion of the population is borne by taxpayers, employers that offer health insurance benefits, and families that pay health insurance premiums.

• The constraints and demands of managed care have increased administrative expenses and paperwork that distract from patient care. Health plans' payment practices and government budget constraints have reduced physicians' revenue and damaged patients' access to care.

• As Americans spend more and more on health insurance, the share of each dollar devoted to care decreases and the portion that goes into managed care's pocket increases. Health insurance companies saw a 10.7-percent increase in profits in 2004, continuing a longstanding trend.

Contents

• What is Happening to Texans
• What is Happening in Physician Practices
• What is Happening in the Health Care Financing Systems

More Healthy Vision 2010

• The complete document ( PDF )
• "Do Not Underestimate the Stakes"
  (Welcome letter from TMA President Robert T. Gunby Jr., MD)
• Healthy Vision 2010 Principles
  • The Economy of Prevention
  • Border Health Bordering on Disaster
  • What Health Care Means to Texas' Fiscal Health
• Healthy Vision 2010: The Treatment
  • Tort Reform a Victory for Patient Access