Len Nichols, director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, says there are two driving factors for the high cost of U.S. health care compared to other countries: one is that employers bear a larger share of the costs for the total health care structure, and the second is that the health care system is inefficient. He says the U.S. spends twice as much on health care as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average, and that about one third of the money spent on health care is not adding clinical value. (0:49)

 

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Sen. Deborah Stabenow (D-Mich.) says the U.S. is losing jobs as a result of the structure of health care and the inability to address costs. She says the only way to address costs is to make sure coverage is provided to everyone. She says hospitals do the right thing and treat people, but then raise rates for the employers to pay for it. She says “we have universal health insurance. It’s the most expensive, crazy structure in the world.” (0:57)

 

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The New America Foundation (NAF) held a discussion on “Employer Health Costs in a Global Economy: A Competitive Disadvantage for U.S. Firms,” with opening remarks by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). She said the U.S. is losing jobs because of the structure of health insurance and the inability to lower costs. She said the U.S. has the most expensive and crazy structure in the world for health insurance, and that this creates a competitive disadvantage. Stabenow, and other senators, are working on the Healthy Americans Act to address these problems.

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Nursing Economics held a discussion at the National Press Club to discuss the plight of the current nursing shortage and its impact on the availability and effectiveness of health care. The presenters released a report called “Nursing Trends: 2007: Key facts about a changing workforce” complete with graphs showing results of surveys and statistics relevant to the shortage.

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Jacob Hacker, author and professor at Yale University, addresses remarks made by Sen. John McCain on health care. He says the key to getting costs under control is having universality and everyone in a common pool, but that McCain’s plan leaves private insurance companies in charge. He says to expect “a lot more of the same, but maybe even worse.” (0:44)

 

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Roger Hickey, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future, says that in reality, Sen. John McCain’s plan for health care will “dismantle the employer provided system,” which will force “millions of us who now get decent health insurance on the job to instead buy whatever they can find on the individual market.” He says McCain’s plan will actually drive the cost of health care up. (0:41)

 

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Doug Holz-Eakin, senior policy adviser for Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, and Carly Fiorina, RNC Victory 2008 chair, discuss McCain’s remarks on health care reform made earlier today in Tampa, Florida. (25:00)

 

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At the CWA conference, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) outlines his health care reform plan and says that every American should have health care comparable to members of Congress because Americans pay Congress’s salary, and “you can take that to the bank.” (1:03)

 

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Mr. Bernstein, Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute and co-editor of “All Things Being Equal,” talks about the growing disparity between access to adequate health care between Caucasians and minorities. (1:30)

 

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Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, speaking at a press conference on the FY2009 budget, says that Medicare Advantage is an example of the kinds of market forces needed for Medicare in general. He also says that other countries, even those with more socialized healthcare systems, are looking for ways to include market forces in their programs. (0:31)

 

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