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The Business of Health Care Report
My topic today is reforming America's
health care system. Never in the history of America has
the need to create a better health care system been greater. Growing numbers of uninsured
Americans; consecutive years of double-digit increases in health insurance premiums;
over-crowded emergency rooms; and severe workforce shortages cry out for attention. A CBS News/New York Times Poll
conducted in 2003 found that 57 percent of Americans believe fundamental changes are
required in the U.S. health care system. Thirty percent said completely rebuild it.
Only 13 percent said minor changes are necessary. At a recent summit in Washington,
D.C., a broad range of health care and community organizations came together to help
jumpstart a national effort to improve health care at the community level. The Austin,
Texas-based Wye River Group on Healthcare announced the results of a national project
that revealed the public's deep concern about the direction of U.S. health care and a
great desire to move forward with constructive change. Food and Drug Administration
Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan has said the Bush administration supports the goals
of a national dialogue on health care. And, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Orrin
Hatch of Utah have drafted legislation calling for a "national conversation on health
care" as a precursor to government action. We've learned from the past that
health care "reform" can't be imposed from the top-down. It must be a grassroots
effort that brings communities together to identify key issues and problems and then
to work together toward a consensus on the principles that should guide health care
policy in the future. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO
Doug Hawthorne
with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio 1080 KRLD. Sources:
©
2004 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 