Health-care industry divided

Experts can't agree on where the problems lie

SANDY — It might be a huge understatement to say proponents of health-care reform in Utah have their hands full. Some evidence could be gleaned from a Thursday health-care conference attended by more than 100 stakeholders.

Remarks from representatives of different parts of the industry showed they could not agree on even the most fundamental question of whether the current health-care system is broken, or, if it is, to what degree.

John T. Nielsen, health-care reform adviser to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., said "the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable." Lane Beattie, president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake Chamber, called for "real," comprehensive reform, adding, "We have got to make changes." Judith Hilman, executive director of the Utah Health Policy Project, said there is "no doubt the system is broken."

But Kelly Atkinson, executive director of the Utah Health Insurance Association, said the existing system merely "needs refinement." Dave Gessell, vice president of government relations and legal affairs for the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association, described the current system as "a good system" that nonetheless needs "reform and improvement." Norm Thurston, health economist for the Utah Department of Health, said the existing system may be "great" for people who work at the 60 percent of Utah businesses that offer health insurance coverage but "not great" for employees at the remaining 40 percent.

Those and other speakers discussed a variety of topics at the conference, presented by the National Federation of Independent Business. Each suggested ways to approach reform, but differences abounded.

State Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, warned that any government solution might have unintended consequences. Nielson, however, said a single-payer, government-sponsored system "is still on the table." Atkinson cited studies that indicate most people think government needs to play a role.

Beattie said reform will take two to three years to put in place, while Hilman said it would take three to four years and should be sure to address cost, quality and access simultaneously. Gessell said the big issues should be addressed first but that reform is "not going to happen if we do it incrementally." Atkinson pushed for sequential change, saying that unless costs are controlled first, the result will be adding the many uninsured to a "sick" system.

Several speakers favor reforms that put more control of health care — and therefore more responsibility and accountability — in the hands of consumers. One option is a health insurance "exchange" that would help people buy insurance that would follow them if they switch jobs, would be paid for using pretax dollars, and would offer consumers more information and choices about their coverage.

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