Public health system is key part of reform

We are fortunate to live in a state where both the governor and the Legislature have committed to do something about what is an increasingly troublesome and embarrassing situation.

The United States is the wealthiest nation on Earth, we spend more money than any other country for health-care services, yet we have fewer healthy people than all other industrialized nations. The term "health-care system" is a misnomer — there is no system but a conglomerate of public and private health insurance programs with various levels of coverage, and 15 percent of our citizens have none. Public health clinics do their best to fill the gaps by providing basic primary and preventive care for the needy, but they constitute a pretty leaky safety net.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., along with the Legislature's Health System Reform Task Force, led by Sen. Sheldon Killpack and Rep. Dave Clark, have made expanding health insurance coverage a priority, and rightly so.

Having health insurance is clearly linked to better health, and those who are covered are more likely to seek care when they need it and in the appropriate setting; e.g., NOT an emergency room for non-urgent problems. But improving the overall health of the public should be of fundamental concern if we wish to truly reform the health system. As the task force continues to develop its plan, I encourage legislators to consider the following:

First: Full coverage of basic oral health services and preventive care services, such as vaccinations (for children and adults) and screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Health Services Task Force, such as screening for cancers.

Second: Public health officials must have the capacity to prevent disease and illness by having an up-to-date disease surveillance and monitoring system. Such a system can better detect new and evolving diseases, foodborne illnesses and poor air and water quality. We must implement the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System, or NEDSS, to replace Utah's current cumbersome and outdated system.

Third: Promoting personal responsibility and rewarding healthy behaviors will reduce health-care costs. Incentives need to be in place for all to have a "medical home," a single source for primary and preventive care, and for those with a chronic disease like diabetes, hypertension or asthma to participate in the management of their own illness.