Following are some published comments from health policy experts about the recent study by David Culter in the New England Journal of Medicine concluding that Americans get reasonable value from the money spent on medical care.
[I]f we compare our rate of increase [in healthcare spending] to other nations, it cost U.S. businesses and consumers 1.19 percentage points of increased economic output for every year of additional longevity over the past 40 years. It cost most other countries about half that. Improved and therefore more expensive health care has been responsible for some of the increase in longevity of the past 40 years. Half--Cutler's estimate--seems reasonable. But studies like his can only serve to distract attention from the fact that our fractured and inefficient health care system, plagued by high administrative overhead, delivers worse outcomes than most other advanced industrial nations despite imposing far higher costs. Where are the NEJM stodies that explain that? --Merrill Goozner, Director, the Integrity in Science Project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, excerpted from "Paying for an Aston-Martin, Getting a Ford," Huffington Post, 9/3/06. The United States is very bad in value for dollar, in terms of the health-care dollar.... The reason why we're spending so much isn't that we're getting more services.... The reason is we're paying much higher prices for the same services that other countries get. --Gerard Anderson, Director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management, Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, quoted in "Study Finds Health Care Good Value Despite Costs," Washington Post, 8/31/06. It really doesn't tell you whether we are spending too much on what doesn't matter and too little on what does. --Harlan Krumholz, Yale University, quoted in the Associated Press story "Americans may get medical money's worth," 8/31/06. The growth in medical spending is unsustainable over time--both in terms of absolute dollars and the benefit it yields. --Steven Findlay, Consumers Union, quoted in the Associated Press story "Americans may get medical money's worth," 8/31/06.
[I]f we compare our rate of increase [in healthcare spending] to other nations, it cost U.S. businesses and consumers 1.19 percentage points of increased economic output for every year of additional longevity over the past 40 years. It cost most other countries about half that.
Improved and therefore more expensive health care has been responsible for some of the increase in longevity of the past 40 years. Half--Cutler's estimate--seems reasonable. But studies like his can only serve to distract attention from the fact that our fractured and inefficient health care system, plagued by high administrative overhead, delivers worse outcomes than most other advanced industrial nations despite imposing far higher costs.
Where are the NEJM stodies that explain that?
--Merrill Goozner, Director, the Integrity in Science Project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, excerpted from "Paying for an Aston-Martin, Getting a Ford," Huffington Post, 9/3/06.
The United States is very bad in value for dollar, in terms of the health-care dollar.... The reason why we're spending so much isn't that we're getting more services.... The reason is we're paying much higher prices for the same services that other countries get.
--Gerard Anderson, Director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management, Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, quoted in "Study Finds Health Care Good Value Despite Costs," Washington Post, 8/31/06.
It really doesn't tell you whether we are spending too much on what doesn't matter and too little on what does.
--Harlan Krumholz, Yale University, quoted in the Associated Press story "Americans may get medical money's worth," 8/31/06.
The growth in medical spending is unsustainable over time--both in terms of absolute dollars and the benefit it yields.
--Steven Findlay, Consumers Union, quoted in the Associated Press story "Americans may get medical money's worth," 8/31/06.
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