Despite the frequent use of the word “change” in their campaign rhetoric, neither John McCain nor Barack Obama seem "willing to address the real problem” of the nation’s healthcare system: offering “economic incentives for the wrong things,” said Medical Group Management Association President and Chief Executive Officer William Jessee this morning at the MGMA’s annual conference in San Diego.
Building on points he made in a Modern Healthcare commentary, Jessee said that addressing healthcare problems will be “an inescapable task” for the new president, and he listed four principles that any serious attempt at healthcare reform must involve, including the concept that “healthcare is a basic human right.”
“In a progressive, caring and wealthy country, no one should have to choose between paying the rent or paying for health insurance,” Jessee told a quiet audience.
The other principles he outlined were:
Jessee also noted that Taiwan spends 2% of its healthcare budget on administrative costs, while the U.S. spends 30%, which translated into a $690 billion expense in 2007. “Notice how close that it is to the bailout number,” Jessee said, referring to the recent $700 billion economic bailout act signed by President Bush. -- by Andis Robeznieks
