The Health of the Nation Initiative provides data and information that will help you be part of the political conversation and take part in solutions. Current political decision making and government performance suffers from information asymmetry.  It is crucial for decision making to have relevant, accessible, reliable and timely information. We will seek to provide information where available and to seek to create a political process to develop the needed data sources for public use.

Data is crucial for an objective presentation of a given medical situation, not just to help the diagnosis, but also to decide on a course of treatment and monitor results. The challenge with data is to agree upon what is important and relevant. Data is not an opinion; it is usually reproducible and verifiable. Data is a tool for more informed decision making about, not a decision itself. The challenge is to present the information in a simplified manner that allows for utilization in decision making.

Rationale: Having an agreed-upon base of data, or a way to challenge the data, will elevate the discussion to a more productive level, a more deliberative conversation built on respect rather than fear and that allows for problem-solving.

We will provide data relevant to the healthcare challenges facing our nation, and document the source of the data. Taken together, the selected indicators reflect the overall health of the nation and the efficiency and efficacy of U.S. health systems.