Practical Lessons for Health Reform from the Military Health System.

Many current health reform proposals focus on universal coverage, insurance reform, and cost control. This brief presents results from studies of the military health system that have timely implications for health care reform. The findings suggest universal coverage with comprehensive health insurance benefits is unlikely to solve many of the problems in our current system without other changes. The research indicates that other actions, such as strengthening primary care and public health initiatives, will also be necessary to solve these problems.