From Deseret News archives:
Panel fears collapse of U.S. health system
Group that seeks solution visits S.L. to hear experts
The congressionally created Citizens Health Care Working Group, charged with no less than recommending a health system that "works for all Americans" is getting less attention than failed Clinton-era health reform efforts. But its work could impact the lives of virtually all Americans for decades to come, those experts say. And it's more likely to succeed because of the panel's nonpartisan approach.
Friday, the group met in Salt Lake City for one of five national meetings to hear from experts like Comptroller General David M. Walker and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who helped create it. The messages were both dire and hopeful.
Walker, who leads the Government Accountability Office, called federal health spending "an unsustainable trend" that will break the economy if it's not reined in. "The federal government is on an imprudent and unsustainable path," he said. And the financial situation is "worse than advertised."
But while he pointed out that system needs a complete makeover, it will likely have to be incremental, with a plan behind it, he said.
By 2013, health expenditures are projected to equal 18.3 percent of gross domestic product.
In the meantime, the American health care system performs below par on key health measures such as life expectancy and preventable deaths, Walker said. Quality is uneven and many patients don't receive clinically proven effective treatment. Information technology isn't used widely, which would reduce medical errors and improve quality. And there are no uniform standards for care, something other speakers at the hearing said brings clearly better outcomes at lower cost.
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