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Report: US healthcare a liability in global economy

Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, March 13, 2009

No country can compete with the US in terms of healthcare technology and scientific developments. But the country is behind many others in healthcare because it is too expensive and “burdensome” for businesses and families.

That is the summary of a new report released yesterday by the Business Roundtable group – “Tracking the Contribution of U.S. Health Care to the Global Competitiveness of American Employers and Workers: 2009 Business Roundtable Health Care Value Comparability Study.”

The report concludes with suggestions to improve healthcare in the US:

• Creating greater consumer value in the healthcare marketplace by using health information technology and empowering consumers with more information about good quality healthcare
• Providing more affordable health insurance options for all Americans by creating an open, all-inclusive private market for health insurance and replacing today’s fragmented state-by-state market with multi-state markets. To ensure that insurance plans are solvent and meet certain minimum requirements, the role of individual states as the primary regulator should continue. Broader, more competitive markets will create more choices for more healthcare consumers.
• Engaging all Americans in taking an active role in their healthcare.
• Offering health coverage and assistance to low-income, uninsured Americans that create a stable and secure public safety net. This assistance would be financed from the cost savings and efficiencies generated by a more competitive and value-driven healthcare system.

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