HEALTH CARE COSTS -- (Senate - April 09, 2008)
Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, one of the most pressing concerns of American families and businesses these days is the skyrocketing cost of health care. Health costs are now the No. 1 cause of personal bankruptcy and many businesses are dropping coverage for their employees because they can no longer afford it.
Required reading for anyone seeking to address the challenge of high health costs is an insightful article in this month's New England Journal of Medicine. It was authored by Dr. James Mongan, who is CEO of Partners HealthCare in Massachusetts, which includes Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's, two of the Nation's leading hospitals. He is joined by Dr. Timothy Ferris and Dr. Thomas Lee.
The article states that there is no single answer to reducing health costs. However, it identifies a number of initiatives that hold significant promise, including pay-for-performance programs, use of electronic medical records and more.
I commend this compelling article to my colleagues and ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
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