The Institute of Medicine Committee’s Clarion Call for Universal Coverage

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on the Consequences of Being Uninsured is to be commended for its work, which recently culminated in the release of six volumes on the subject. The concluding volume presents a vision for universal coverage and describes four options for achieving it. The options include an incremental approach, employer and individual mandates, and a single-payer plan. We identify complications involving benefits and geographic variation in costs surrounding attempts to achieve universal coverage. The complications suggest that the committee's cost estimates may be too low and that there may be sizable political barriers to the proposals. (March 31, 2004)