Leading experts in health and health care reform to take part in symposium

With the nation facing a $9 trillion deficit over the next 10 years, according to government estimates, the future of health care reform depends upon a neglected but critical leg of the equation: cost. Some of the nation’s leading experts in health and health care reform will provide insights into this issue when they converge in Nashville Saturday for a nonpartisan public discussion.

The symposium, titled “The Third Rail of Healthcare Reform: Cost,” will be held at the newly completed Schermerhorn Symphony Center and webcast at www.thirdrailcost.com.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen will moderate and participate in panel discussions with U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper from Tennessee’s Fifth District and a dozen health care industry researchers and experts. The event will highlight findings from RAND COMPARE and was organized with support from Nashville’s Vanguard Health Systems, The Martin Foundation and Healthspottr, the definitive blog on uncovering and tracking innovators in health and health care. COMPARE is an ongoing, independent effort by the nonprofit RAND Corporation to provide objective information about health care reform.

“We are delighted that so many of the country’s foremost authorities on health care reform have agreed to join in this nonpartisan discussion,” said Elizabeth McGlynn, associate director of the health program at RAND and co-director of RAND COMPARE. “This type of unbiased analysis of current health care policy proposals is just what people need to better understand health care reform and it’s a major focus of the mission of RAND COMPARE.”

Ongoing national debate about health care reform involves all three legs of the equation – quality, access and cost. Saturday’s discussion is aimed at raising the national dialogue about solutions for cost control, evaluating current health care reform proposals for their impact on cost and focusing on innovation as an important component for cost control in health care.

“Our goal in sponsoring this event is to create a public dialogue about the most promising opportunities to improve value and reduce unnecessary spending in health care and gain accurate insights into these choices,” said Charles N. Martin, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Vanguard Health Systems. “The experts participating in this conversation provide information and viewpoints that will hopefully have an impact in Washington, but more importantly will provide greater understanding of the issues by the public in general.”

Today, the United States spends more on health care than any other country. But studies show that spending more does not make Americans healthier or provide them a longer expected life span than people in other developed countries. Researchers say the facts suggest that the nation could spend less and get the same results or get better value from the amount that it does spend.

Topics covered at the forum will center on controlling health care spending, federal reform legislation, incentives for change and innovation in health care.