About Us
The Fund The Patient movement supports policies that put you in charge of your health care. Funding patients directly will empower you to make the best decisions and access the care that puts your needs first.
Principles
Directly Fund the Patient
You know your health care better than anyone. So why do so many third parties get to make your care decisions?
Today, excessive government regulations and insurance company rules and policies dictate which plans we can buy, which medicines we can take, and which doctors we can see. Patients and families are left with little say about the care they need.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
By redirecting health care dollars from government programs, big hospital systems, and insurance companies back to patients, we can take control of our care and make the choices that work best for our families.
There is still a role for insurance – for unexpected and high cost health expenses and severe chronic conditions. But for everyday health, dollars should follow the patient, so hospitals and providers will have to compete for our trust and business. That means better service, more time with your doctor, improved health outcomes, and lower costs.
Expand Patient Control Instead of Government Control
Health care is deeply personal. Yet patients cannot truly be in control when government bureaucrats and insurance company gatekeepers limit their choices and decision-making.
When the government tries to define “value” in health care, it often ends up reducing options and flexibility, the very things patients need most.
Too much government control means higher costs and taxes, more paperwork, and fewer choices for patients. This benefits the system, not you.
It’s time for lawmakers to scale back third-party interference and put decision-making where it belongs: back in your hands, so you and your doctor can decide what’s best for your health.
Promote Proven Policies That Put Health Care Dollars in Patient Hands
Health care only works when your money and decision-making ability remain in your hands, not in the hands of government bureaucrats, insurance companies, and big hospital systems.
For patients to get the most from their care and stay in control, policymakers must equip all of us with the tools to succeed. That starts with practical financial tools like health savings accounts (HSAs), which provide incentives for you to save, invest, and spend on the care that best fits your needs.
Today, only about 10 percent of Americans have access to these powerful tools. That needs to change.
By expanding HSAs to everyone and fully funding them for those with financial needs, we can make health care more affordable, portable, and accessible for all.
Empowering patients with these tools shifts the focus of American health policy back where it belongs: on you, your family, and your care.
Increase Patient Decision Making
Barriers and red tape prevent patients from accessing the quality care that meets their unique needs. But when patients have control of their care and can choose providers they need and trust, patients will have better health outcomes.
Policymakers must get rid of outdated laws that block access to potentially life-changing treatments, allow qualified providers to practice where they’re needed most, and always put patients first when enacting legislation.
Patients, with their doctors, know what care is best for them. Policymakers must clear the way by removing barriers to care and expanding access to proven treatments and providers to help Americans live healthier lives.
Vision
The Fund The Patient movement advocates a health care system that puts patients first by prioritizing health programs that direct subsidies and benefits directly to the patient instead of third parties, equipping patients with greater access to affordable coverage, more doctors, and a wider range of therapies and treatments.
Advisory Council
The Fund The Patient Advisory Council brings together caregivers, patient advocates, and public policy voices who share one goal – putting patients at the center of health care. Through the Fund the Patient movement, these leaders collaborate to rethink how health care is funded and ensure that every dollar better serves patients, not the system.
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Terry Wilcox
Advisor
Terry Wilcox is the co-founder and chief mission officer of Patients Rising, a patient advocacy organization. She understands the everyday struggles of Americans interfacing with the health care system, and firmly believes that true transformation in health care can only be realized through unified patient voices, echoing collective stories from every district of every state.
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Ge Bai, PhD, CPA
Advisor
Ge Bai, PhD, CPA, is a professor of accounting at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An expert on health care accounting, finance, and policy, Bai has testified before Congress, written for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, and published in leading academic journals her studies about how patients can take back their health care.
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Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio
Advisor
Anthony DiGiorgio is an assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is also affiliated faculty with the Philip R Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. As a practicing neurosurgeon, DiGiorgio primarily sees patients at the local county hospital, where he cares for low-income and chronically ill patients.