Healthcare reform: current and proposed approaches.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To explain some of the healthcare reforms currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress.

DATA SOURCES

Published reports, government documents, and journal articles.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Healthcare reforms are being proposed to address the issues of cost containment, universal access, and quality of care. Elements of the current and proposed healthcare reform plans are reviewed and clarified.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of some sort of reform seems inevitable; however, the design of the final package will depend on a variety of financial, political, and social pressures.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

If nurses are aware of the proposed changes, they can participate as decision makers, articulate the rules as consumers, and understand the issues as providers.