Are we “on target” to meet the goal/objectives associated with one of the Leading Health Indicators by 2020?

The Healthy People 2020 program includes a considerable number of objectives. Some of them are called Leading Health Indicators (LHIs), and they “have been selected to communicate high-priority health issues and actions that can be taken to address them.” These indicators are used to assess the health of the Nation, enhance collaboration across different sectors, and promote action at the national and state levels to improve the health of the American population.

One of the crucial indicators of the Healthy People 2020 program is Access to Health Services as it has a strong effect on every aspect of a person’s health. Approximately one in five American people (persons under age 65) do not have medical insurance. Citizens without it are more likely to lack standard medical care and access to some essential medical services, increasing the risk for serious health conditions.

However, the statistics show that the percentage of people with free access to health services has not changed significantly since the start of the Healthy People 2020 program. The Office of Analysis and Epidemiology’s report demonstrates that, in 2008, 83.2 percent of Americans had health insurance, and in 2013, this figure increased only by 0.1 percent, given that the goal was to provide insurance to one hundred percent of American citizens. Hence, the progress relative to this indicator is so small that, in this case, it is impossible to talk about the achievement of this objective and the full implementation of the program by 2020. Nevertheless, it would also be wrong to say that all the goals of Healthy People 2020 are unattainable. Statistics reveal that some other indicators, such as Clinical Preventive Services or Environmental Quality, have already reached the target or even surpassed it.