Posts Tagged Senate Committee

As Senate and House Committees struggle this week to craft a health care reform bill that will cost less than $1,000,000,000,000, one of the secondary considerations is implementing wellness into reform. This is exactly backward. 

If health care reform is essential to the long-term health of the economy, then the actual health of Americans is a critical aspect of health care reform.  The simplest way to reduce health care costs is to reduce utilization, and healthier people generally use fewer services.

Numerous studies suggest that the primary factor in health status and premature death is behavioral, with genetic factors closely behind. Said another way, depending on the study, somewhere between 50-75% of whether a person interacts with the health care system is determined by their choices (choices about food, smoking, exercise) and by their genetics (which will be part of a later post about the underlying flaw of comparative effectiveness).

In order to reform health care, and therefore strengthen the economy, we need people to change their behavior. As McDonald’s enduring success indicates, that will be difficult. Essential things usually are.

As this Roll Call article entititled “Wellness Not Faring Well” describes, lobbyists for disease management groups, consumer organizations, and unions are objecting on the grounds that employers and payers will introduce premium differentials based on participation. If we allow Congress to “reform” the health care system without incorporating wellness into the reforms, we will ultimately fail. At some point, reducing the need for health care services, i.e. decreased utilization, is a better solution for everyone than rationing scarce supply of those services.