The topic of medical insurance reform is a hot button. The words a person uses to describe the issue tell you a little bit about what they believe in principle, what they think may be a problem with the medical insurance industry today, and how they think those perceived problems ought to be solved.

Here are some of the ways folks talk about the issue, and what those terms often imply:

• Health Care Crisis. This phrase suggests that there is a problem with the actual health care system in America. It suggests that the health care system – not just medical insurance or access to medical services – is at the root of the problem. Folks who talk about health care reform often talk about a complete overhaul of the entire health care industry, not just a restructuring of medical insurance or tort reform. In many cases, this involves large portions of the industry being brought under either the control or at least the oversight of the government.
• Health Care Reform. In many instances, folks who talk about “reform” are somewhere in the middle of the road. They don’t believe the entire system is broken, but they many believe there are parts that need help. They may advocate for something as minor as tort reform (i.e. changing the way that medical malpractice lawsuits affect the health care market) or as major as forcing people to have health insurance or creating a government-sponsored health insurance system.
• Health Care Access. People that talk about access to health care are usually concerned, primarily, with getting those that don’t have a way to buy medical insurance into a medical insurance program. They may think that this should happen via the force of law, or they may believe that market forces can be brought to bear.
• Medical Insurance Reform. Some people talk specifically about medical insurance. This does a couple of things. First, it takes the onus off of the entire health care industry, and recognizes that the problem isn’t with doctors or hospitals, but rather with the state of medical insurance in the country. These folks often advocate for less regulation in medical insurance, and propose things like allowing medical insurance companies to operate the same from one state to the other. They may also recommend tort reform to keep the costs of medical malpractice insurance down.

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