Groups Seek To Fast-Track Efforts To Curb Costs, Boost Quality

Five veteran health care leaders representing insurers, hospitals, employers and consumers on Thursday outlined an ambitious set of recommendations aimed at slowing rising costs, focused mainly on changing the way America pays for health care.

Many of the ideas draw on existing efforts, such as accelerating Medicare’s efforts to pay for quality rather than just quantity of care. Working together as the Partnership for Sustainable Health Care, they also recommend greater incentives to promote quality, such as reimbursing providers more for treatments shown to be most effective — and reimbursing them less for those with more uncertain benefits.

One proposal would offer financial carrots to states: Voluntarily find ways to slow rising health care costs without cutting coverage or services — and share in any savings gleaned by Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs.

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Source: Kaiser Health News