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THE QUESTION
Has congress done enough to constrain long-term spending growth?
Has Congress done enough to constrain long-term, health care spending growth? What cost containment strategies would you advocate pursuing?
Posted by Washington Post Editor on October 26, 2009 2:46 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Congress is not doing enough to cut costs
Congress has not come close to addressing the drivers of health care spending. We have to understand, as pointed out in Dr. Deborah Cohen and Dr. Tom Farley's book, "Prescription for a Healthy Nation" and former Surgeon General Dr. David...
Posted by Michael Critelli, on October 29, 2009 10:56 PM
Not enough, and yet too much
All the bills currently under consideration need to focus more heavily on containing costs and restraining spending growth. Unfortunately, some of the bills would do the exact opposite, piling on new costs and pushing them upwards for years to come....
Posted by Robert F. Graboyes, on October 29, 2009 6:19 PM
It seems to be all about access
I'll admit it...I don't know all the details of the health reform legislation. But then again, who really does? But from most accounts, it seems as if most of the measures are geared towards improving access and not reducing costs....
Posted by John J. Whyte, on October 28, 2009 11:57 AM
Congress can only outline goals
There is a limit to how much Congress can spell out in the current legislation about how to contain health care inflation. But over time, reformers will be able to save billions as we begin to let medical evidence show...
Posted by Maggie Mahar, on October 28, 2009 11:30 AM
New delivery models will solve the cost crisis
I was again reminded at last week's Partner's Connected Health Conference about how much potential there is for innovation in health - for industry transformation. The session titles speak for themselves: • Wireless Tech and Patient Self-Management: Opportunities, Applications, and...
Posted by Peter Neupert, on October 27, 2009 9:23 PM
Not much cost control
No, there isn't much cost control in the bill other than the public option. What is needed, perhaps next year, is significant financial incentives to create more vertically integrated providers like Kaiser and Geissinger. Hospitals, insurance companies, tertiary and primary...
Posted by Howard Dean, on October 27, 2009 10:37 AM
Crack cost containment through chronic care
We need a strategic war on chronic care in America to address spiralling health costs in the nation. In 2007, $1.7 trillion was spent on chronic health conditions in the U.S. This consumed about 75 percent of the total $2.2...
Posted by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, on October 27, 2009 6:10 AM
Reform needs an MD and an MBA
While Congress struggles to merge bills over the next few weeks, it is clear that the fundamentals for what will ultimately improve the cost and quality of health care have been overlooked. Every part of our economy from consumer goods...
Posted by Sreedhar Potarazu, on October 26, 2009 9:02 PM
Healthy communities are the real cost-savers
The proposed bills we've seen out of both the House and Senate make significant steps forward in bringing millions of Americans into a safe, sustainable insurance system. A robust public option is crucial to breaking the monopolistic stranglehold many insurance...
Posted by Angela Glover Blackwell, on October 26, 2009 5:07 PM
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