Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) is an advocacy organization of more than 20,000 American
physicians
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
medical students
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
, and health professionals that supports a universal, comprehensive
single-payer
Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer").
Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from ...
national health insurance
National health insurance (NHI), sometimes called statutory health insurance (SHI), is a system of health insurance that insures a national population against the costs of health care. It may be administered by the public sector, the private sector ...
program. Since being co-founded in 1987 by physicians
David Himmelstein and
Steffie Woolhandler, PNHP has advocated for reform in the U.S. health care system.
PNHP is the only national physician organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to implementing a single-payer national health program. The organization and its members work to educate physicians and other health professionals about the benefits of a single-payer system, including fewer administrative costs and affording health insurance for the millions of Americans who have none. Additionally, PNHP performs research on the health crisis and the need for fundamental reform, coordinates speakers and forums, participates in town hall meetings and debates, contributes scholarly articles to peer-reviewed medical journals, and appears regularly on national television and news programs advocating for a single-payer system.
The group is best known for its influential proposals for national health insurance, which have been published in the ''
New England Journal of Medicine
''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals as well as the oldest continuously published one.
His ...
'', ''
JAMA
''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of biom ...
'', and the ''
American Journal of Public Health
The ''American Journal of Public Health'' is a monthly peer-reviewed public health journal published by the American Public Health Association that covers health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated miss ...
''.
The group is also known for its members' substantial contributions to scientific research on the uninsured, health system economics and international health systems. Members such as David Himmelstein, Steffie Woolhandler,
Marcia Angell
Marcia Angell (; born April 20, 1939) is an American physician, author, and the first woman to serve as editor-in-chief of the '' New England Journal of Medicine''. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Global Health and Social ...
and
Arnold Relman
Arnold Seymour Relman (June 17, 1923 – June 17, 2014) — known as Bud Relman to intimates — was an American internist and professor of medicine and social medicine. He was editor of ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') from 19 ...
have contributed articles to major
peer-reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
journals such as the ''New England Journal of Medicine'' (of which Angell and Relman are former editors-in-chief), ''JAMA'', ''
Health Affairs
''Health Affairs'' is a monthly peer-reviewed healthcare journal established in 1981 by John K. Iglehart; since 2014, the editor-in-chief is Alan Weil. It was described by ''The Washington Post'' as "the bible of health policy".
Abstracting an ...
'', and ''
The American Journal of Medicine''.
Quentin Young was president of the organization from 1991 to 1993.
See also
*
Health care reform
Health care reform is for the most part governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place. Health care reform typically attempts to:
* Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insu ...
*
List of healthcare reform advocacy groups in the United States
*
Medicare for All Act
The Medicare for All Act, aka the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act or United States National Health Care Act, is a bill first introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Representative John Conyers (D-MI) in 2003, with ...
*
National Physicians Alliance
*
Physicians' Council for Responsible Reform
*
Universal health care
Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
References
External links
Physicians for a National Health Program official website
{{Authority control
Medical and health organizations based in Illinois
Healthcare reform advocacy groups in the United States
1987 establishments in the United States