Publication: Improving Health: Majority Recommendations

Based on the assumption that all American children deserve
an opportunity to be born healthy and to grow up healthy,
this guide presents the recommendations approved by the
majority of the National Commission on Children for
improving the health of the nation's pregnant women and
children. The Commission's five recommendations are: (1)
provide universal health insurance coverage for pregnant
women and children through age 18 through a public-private
system that includes a basic level of care and provisions
to contain costs and improve care quality; (2) expand
effective health care programs for underserved populations;
(3) improve the delivery of health care through joint
efforts by health care professionals and professionals from
other disciplines to ensure the quality and
comprehensiveness of health and social services,
participate in publicly funded programs, and serve their
communities as volunteers; (4) reinforce parental
responsibility to protect their children's health by
protecting their own health, modeling healthful behavior,
providing a safe home environment, and seeking essential
health services for their children; and (5) increase
community responsibility for creating safe neighborhoods,
supporting the development of community-based health
education and health care programs, and sponsoring
activities and special projects to help families gain
access to needed services. This guide outlines steps to
implement these recommendations.