The Commonwealth Fund on Thursday proposed a comprehensive plan for overhauling the U.S. health care system that includes a new government-sponsored health coverage program and a government-run health insurance exchange, Reuters/Boston Globe reports. Under the plan, all U.S. residents would be required to obtain health coverage. The plan would establish a new government-sponsored health program for people younger than age 65 who are not eligible for Medicare. More than 40 million people would be expected to enroll in the program, according to Cathy Schoen of the Commonwealth Fund.

The government-operated insurance exchange would be similar to an existing program in Massachusetts and would allow people to compare coverage offered by private insurers and the new public program. In addition, the plan supports wide adoption of health information technology, better disease prevention efforts and changes to the insurance payment system that promote efficiency. Health spending would continue to increase under the plan, but at a slower rate than current projections over the next 10 years. The Commonwealth Fund said the plan would reduce annual health care spending growth from a projected 6.7% to 5.5% and save a cumulative total of about $3 trillion by 2020.

James Mongan, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare System in Massachusetts and head of the Commonwealth Fund commission that drafted the proposal, said, "The aim here is not to move away from the private insurance industry." Commonwealth Fund leaders said the plan is intended to achieve near-universal health coverage while controlling costs and improving quality (Dunham, Reuters/Boston Globe, 2/19).

Details of the plan are available online.