Cardin cites Safeway model in health care reform debate
Encounters civility at town hall meeting at Howard County General
By Luke Broadwater
lbroadwater@patuxent.com
Posted 10/16/09
Senator Ben Cardin has faced angry town hall meetings on health care before, enduring boos and jeers and chants of “Spend, Ben, spend!”
On Friday, he faced a more tranquil crowd at Howard County General Hospital as he fielded questions from about 40 doctors and other members of the county’s health care community.
“I’m told this is a more friendly audience than some of the town hall meetings,” Cardin said.
Flanked by Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman and hospital President Victor Broccolino, Cardin laid out his plans for health care reform, stressing that he favored a public option and increased competition.
“The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world where health care is not a right,” Cardin said. “Are we right? Or is the rest of the world wrong?”
The senator said the goal of health care reform is not to increase costs and raise taxes, but to do the opposite: Lower costs and lower spending.
“President Obama has made this his top priority for one simple reason: cost,” Cardin said. “We need to lower costs so we can balance our budget.”
The senator said the United States spends $2.4 trillion annually on health care costs, more than any other country in the world. With ever-increasing costs, an average family will be spending $23,000 a year on health care by 2016, he said.
“It’s out of reach for most families in our country,” Cardin said, adding there are five bills working their way through congress that seek to lower costs.
He said the country should try to emulate Safeway, which provides voluntary health care for its employees at a much lower cost than the national average by creating an incentive for them to live healthier lifestyles, including not smoking and losing weight.
Safeway was able to keep health care costs the same over the past four years, while most American companies increased health care costs by 40 percent.
Safeway executives determined that 70 percent of health care costs are caused by unhealthy behavior, Cardin explained, and began charging higher premiums for employees who smoke or those who don’t maintain a healthy weight and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
“That’s the model we want to incorporate nationally,” Cardin said.
He also said a “seamless” system of information sharing among health care providers would reduce costs, because many emergency room patients now require unnecessary tests due to medical records not being shared between hospitals.
Cardin fielded a variety of polite questions from the doctors, including concerns that doctors could be paid less if health care is reformed; concerns that medical malpractice lawsuits are not being limited; and concerns that doctors will not be allowed to use the latest technology to treat patients as costs are kept down.
Cardin responded to several questions by saying the goal of the bills is to increase competition, which creates lower costs, greater efficiency and better performance.
“Competition brings down costs,” he said. “Competition gives you choices. I favor a public insurance option because I favor more competition. It’s not government-run health care. The providers are still public.”
He said legislators want to keep the best parts of American health care — what he called the world-renowned medical treatment provided by the best doctors and hospitals — while lowering costs overall.
“I’m really optimistic we’re going to get this done right,” Cardin said. “This is America. This is where the best health care in the world is. We’ll figure it out.”
On Friday, he faced a more tranquil crowd at Howard County General Hospital as he fielded questions from about 40 doctors and other members of the county’s health care community.
“I’m told this is a more friendly audience than some of the town hall meetings,” Cardin said.
Flanked by Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman and hospital President Victor Broccolino, Cardin laid out his plans for health care reform, stressing that he favored a public option and increased competition.
“The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world where health care is not a right,” Cardin said. “Are we right? Or is the rest of the world wrong?”
The senator said the goal of health care reform is not to increase costs and raise taxes, but to do the opposite: Lower costs and lower spending.
“President Obama has made this his top priority for one simple reason: cost,” Cardin said. “We need to lower costs so we can balance our budget.”
The senator said the United States spends $2.4 trillion annually on health care costs, more than any other country in the world. With ever-increasing costs, an average family will be spending $23,000 a year on health care by 2016, he said.
“It’s out of reach for most families in our country,” Cardin said, adding there are five bills working their way through congress that seek to lower costs.
He said the country should try to emulate Safeway, which provides voluntary health care for its employees at a much lower cost than the national average by creating an incentive for them to live healthier lifestyles, including not smoking and losing weight.
Safeway was able to keep health care costs the same over the past four years, while most American companies increased health care costs by 40 percent.
Safeway executives determined that 70 percent of health care costs are caused by unhealthy behavior, Cardin explained, and began charging higher premiums for employees who smoke or those who don’t maintain a healthy weight and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
“That’s the model we want to incorporate nationally,” Cardin said.
He also said a “seamless” system of information sharing among health care providers would reduce costs, because many emergency room patients now require unnecessary tests due to medical records not being shared between hospitals.
Cardin fielded a variety of polite questions from the doctors, including concerns that doctors could be paid less if health care is reformed; concerns that medical malpractice lawsuits are not being limited; and concerns that doctors will not be allowed to use the latest technology to treat patients as costs are kept down.
Cardin responded to several questions by saying the goal of the bills is to increase competition, which creates lower costs, greater efficiency and better performance.
“Competition brings down costs,” he said. “Competition gives you choices. I favor a public insurance option because I favor more competition. It’s not government-run health care. The providers are still public.”
He said legislators want to keep the best parts of American health care — what he called the world-renowned medical treatment provided by the best doctors and hospitals — while lowering costs overall.
“I’m really optimistic we’re going to get this done right,” Cardin said. “This is America. This is where the best health care in the world is. We’ll figure it out.”
user comments (2)
user frazie says...
If Safeway supports health reform, a jar, at the Lonreach store, would be used to collect money to aid an employee with cancer. Many of Safeway employees are not provided health insurance
Posted 5:31 PM, 10.16.09 | Permalink
user amanda90 says...
how true do you think this cartoon is ?http://www.typobounty.com/Funny/Health_Care_Reform3.htm
Posted 7:14 PM, 10.17.09 | Permalink
Advertisement
most popular
- read
- emailed
Advertisement
Advertisement