How Can We Reduce Health Care Costs and Improve Quality?

Everitt Dirksen may not have said,  " A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money"? but he probably wished he did. Learn more about reducing your healthcare costs. 

Subject: Improving Cost-Benefit Ratio of US Healthcare

Educational Goals: Improving quality and access, reducing costs
Barriers: Stakeholders (Patients/Employers/Payers/Health institutions/Providers) with differing needs, interests, demands, political power (whose ox is getting gored?)
Background: Implementation of Affordable Care Act
Point-of-view: not promoting any political agenda or health insurance plan
Compensation: not sponsored by any health plan or organization
Methods: non-comprehensive references to information residents can use to impact health costs and outcomes

"The cost of care reflects an underperforming health system."

More is not always better. There are about 1.5 million cataract operations per year in the US. A year 2000 study examining over 19,000 patients undergoing cataract surgery showed no benefit to preoperative medical evaluation. Thirteen years later, this practice continues. 

Health care charges differ widely within the US and even within states. Charges vary beyond what government officials would expect. To an extent, you can compare care prices. 

Data is available on differential charges and reimbursements. With acute illness, patients cannot "shop" for lower charge care. For example, for a "heart attack" without complications in the local area, there is over four fold difference in charges and two fold difference in reimbursements. 

How can I estimate costs of health insurance? May differ in your individual situation. 

What subsidies may be available to reduce insurance costs for individual purchasers?

The Health Connector is an independent state agency that helps Massachusetts residents find health care coverage.

Health plans must have Minimum Creditable Coverage. 

As in other insurance, there is a trade off between level of deductible and premiums paid. Link to Commonwealth Choice marketplace plans. 

When appropriate, individuals can often save by buying generic drugs. 

Smoking cessation has proven population health and care savings benefits.

Weight reduction could help reduce the estimated 344 billion dollar excess health care costs from obesity.  Free tools for diet and exercise journals, such as MyFitnessPal are available online and in app form. I have seen numerous patients using these tools achieve major weight loss, reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, improving their health, reducing cardiovascular risk, and reducing their medication costs.