HIAA Offers Five-Step Program For Cutting Health Costs

In addition to increasing medical malpractice insurance rates, fear of lawsuits increases medical costs about $50 billion per year, by encouraging defensive medicine, HIAA says.

HIAA predicts that promoting the use of scientific medical standards and independent evaluations of new medical technology could save another $100 billion per year.

HIAA does not try to quantify the effects of giving consumers a greater stake in health care decisions, but it says ending cost-shifting by public health programs would save $15 billion each year.

Ideas about cutting costs are particularly important this year: privately insured adults and adults in general now view controlling health care costs as the top health care priority, according to Bill McInturff, a partner with the polling firm of Public Opinion Strategies, Alexandria, Va.

McInturff reported at the press briefing that 39% of adults with private health insurance who participated in a recent survey cited cost control as the number one issue for Congress and the President to address. In contrast, only 23% listed reducing the number of uninsureds as the number one issue, and only 5% listed passing a patients’ bill of rights as the top priority.