How the Health Care Industry Promises to Save You Money

Remember that coalition of health industry stakeholders who came together to promise President Barack Obama $2 trillion in voluntarily achieved savings over 10 years? They've released their specifics (pdf). It's a bit hard to say what the numbers would add up to if scored by an independent analyst, but the overall effect was to make me much, much less sympathetic to the health industry.

But the fact that there is this much low-hanging fruit is troubling. But in the aggregate, the document paints the picture of an almost comically ineffective sector. This isn't just a blueprint for reform. It's an argument for reform. And above that, it's an argument for why reform should not be overly constrained by the preferences of the stakeholders. Look at the system they've built. Look at the inefficiencies they've permitted. They don't deserve a guiding role.

Read more.... Source: Ezra Klein