Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

The Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Senator Michael Crapo (R-Idaho) led a discussion on “Approaches to ‘Bending the Growth Curve’ on Healthcare Spending.” Both Senators agreed that healthcare is the single largest threat to long term fiscal outlook and that the most affective way to end the “nation’s ongoing struggle” is to gain bipartisan support.

Peter Orszag, of the Congressional Budget Office, said that the United States’ political system does not deal well with gradual, long term problems, which is what the healthcare issue has turned into. He explained that the nation needs much more information on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to healthcare, needs more financial incentive to make a change, and needs a behavior change into a healthier lifestyle.

Elliot Fisher, of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, said that the United States needs to focus on supply sensitive services. He explained that the current system rewards growth and spending, a policy that needs to be changed. Fisher also said that there are three main healthcare areas that need attention: payment, capacity, and clinical judgment.

Scott Serota, of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, said that there is generally uniformity and agreement on the healthcare issues, and asked “why aren’t we doing it?” Serota had four recommendations on the areas that he thought needed focus. He said that research on “what really works” needs to be encouraged, there needs to be a change in incentives, consumer and providers needs to be empowered to make good decisions, and a focus on health and wellness needs to be promoted.