What would a better health care system for all Americans be like? This is the question that the American College of Physicians (ACP) has been asking of its members since July 2018, when the ACP Board of Regents asked ACP's Health and Public Policy Committee and Medical Practice and Quality Committee to “develop a new vision for the future of health care policy,” to examine ways to achieve universal coverage with improved access to care, reduce per capita health care costs and the rate of growth in spending, reform clinician compensation, and reduce the complexity of our health care system.

To develop this vision and recommend ways to realize it, ACP considered evidence on the effectiveness of health care in the United States and other countries; solicited input from U.S-based members and ACP's policy committees; adopted draft recommendations for review by ACP's regents, governors, committees, and council members; finalized recommendations in response to this feedback; and submitted the recommendations for approval by the ACP Board of Regents. On 2 November 2019, the Board of Regents approved this call to action and 3 companion papers on coverage and cost of care (1), health care delivery and payment system reforms (2), and reducing barriers to care and addressing social determinants of health (3).