A three-point plan to fix health care in the U.S.
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By Becky Quick,
As debate rages about the troubles millions are having in trying to sign up for health insurance through the government website, a bigger ailment is occupying the mind of Mark Bertolini. The chairman, CEO, and president of insurance giant Aetna, Bertolini is focused on a longer-term problem: how to treat the nation’s ballooning health care costs, which rose to a staggering $2.7 trillion last year.
Bertolini has a seat on the frontlines of the debate. Aetna insures about 44 million Americans. But he isn’t just a technocrat. He’s also had more than his share of firsthand experiences with the medical system, with his son, Eric.
He has a simple three-point plan to heal our ailing health care system.
>ELIMINATE FEE FOR SERVICE. His first priority is to change the way we pay for care. Instead of fee for service, hospitals and doctors should be paid for a good outcome.
>FOCUS ON HEAVY USERS. 5% of Medicare patients are responsible for 43% of the $550 billion spent on the program. To find big savings, you have to target where the money is being spent.
>RESTRUCTURE THE DELIVERY SYSTEM. Send all the hearts to Cleveland Clinic. Send all the cancers to Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Laying out a plan to develop regional centers of excellence around the country.
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