In this extended essay, Nortin M. Hadler and Stephen P. Carter introduce
a new approach to reforming the American health-care system--a plan they
call the Universal Workers' Compensation Model (UWCM). Drawing on
Hadler's expertise as a physician and Carter's as an attorney, the two
have conceived the UWCM as a state-level alternative that would
supersede current solutions debated at the national level. They begin by
summarizing the history and present complexity and irrationality of
America's health-insurance system. They then lay out the key concepts
underlying the UWCM regime and the practical policy steps necessary to
enact it. At the heart of the UWCM is a broader understanding of what
constitutes worker's health, one grounded in scientific research and
cognizant of the wide range of physical and mental illnesses that can
afflict workers. The UWCM stipulates a single policy providing rational
and reasoned recourse for universal risks: illness, injury, disability,
and death.
Presenting their ideas with precision in this 34-page pamphlet, Hadler
and Carter intend to spark discussion among health-care providers,
insurers, legislators, and everyday citizens about how we might move
beyond the limits of the current debate toward new, truly effective
solutions.