Medical historian Kenneth Ludmerer, M.D., said, “Don't be disappointed if you don't solve in one weekend what Flexner did in 50 years.” There is more to fix now than in Abraham Flexner's time at the beginning of the 20th century, he pointed out—the whole health care system. Yet, he said he was cautiously optimistic, and quoted the ending of his book Time to Heal: “There is still sufficient opportunity for visionaries to dream and leaders to act.”
Health spending rose 8.7% in 2001, highest growth rate in 10 years
Health care spending rose "a decade-high" 8.7% in 2001, driven largely by prescription drugs and hospital stays for an aging population, according to a new CMS report in the current issue of Health Affairs. Between 2000 and 2001, the U.S. health care budget grew from $1.31 trillion to $1.42 trillion, and health care spending increased from 13.3% of the gross domestic product to 14.1%, averaging about $5,000 per person. The report found that prescription drugs were the fastest-growing health care expenditure in 2001, while hospital spending accounted for 30% of the increase, jumping 8.3%. Economists attribute that growth to a number of hospital consolidations that have given facilities more bargaining power with managed care companies.
6. PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED KIDS CONTINUES TO DROP, SAYS CDC
The proportion of uninsured U.S. children decreased from 13.9 percent in 1997 to 9.8 percent for the first half of 2002, according to a report based on preliminary data from the CDC's National Health Interview Survey. The annual survey tracks health insurance and other health indicators for Americans. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, in releasing the Dec. 31 report, credited the improvement largely to expanded health coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program, created in 1997. Working-age adults were more likely than children or seniors to lack health insurance, with 18.5 percent of those between 18 and 64 years of age without coverage. Other findings from the survey include a continued decline in smoking among U.S. adults. A press release containing a link to the report is at ( http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/02news/release200212.htm).
AN AILING SYSTEM Ralph Snyderman DURHAM, N.C. — There is a health-care crisis pending that is even more urgent than the challenges threatening Social Security and as precarious as was the recent dot.com bubble.
Stats on CMS - source - federal register
1996 12.1% of all Medicare enrollees were responsible for 75.5% of Medicare expenditures or 126.1 billion dollars
1998 Dual eligible (Medicare and Medicaid both)
6 million people
30% of Medicare spending
16% of Medicare population
35% of Medicaid spending
17% of Medicaid population
Average cost to Medicare for Fee for service patient was $5300
http://www.geworkersunited.org/news/index.asp?ID=225
The above link directs to a story on the GE workers
strike. It is from a union source.
Interesting note in light of recent postings, this
would be the first strike I know of where the key
issue was health insurance premiums. While you can
debate how much of GE profits should cover health
insurance, its clear the workers want no part of
increased direct health care costs.
Dan Sontheimer
Models Rural Practice and Health Systems