Healthcare: Avoiding the Crisis of an Enabling industry

Summary:

The US cannot allow the healthcare industry to lose its enabling mission. Failure to do so could have negative consequences for our economy on the scale of the financial industry crisis. It is incumbent on the Administration and Congress to lead by ensuring that the healthcare industry returns to its enabling mission, and by establishing a goal for national healthcare expenditure. This “top-down” leadership is crucial. Once the overall mission and goal are established, a “bottom-up” process should be put in place to enable stakeholders in the healthcare industry to develop solutions for reducing costs to meet the overall goal. Cross-stakeholder teams will ensure that cross-boundary issues are dealt with effectively. Utilizing a “top-down, bottom-up” approach ensures that we achieve practical, real and sustainable results for reducing healthcare costs at the national level.