Clinic’s Cosgrove: Little Cost Control in Health Care Bills

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Topics: Politics, Health
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Health Care reform measures under consideration in Congress will do little to solve the problem of rising health care costs. That's according to Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, who spoke on the health care debate at the Jones Day law firm in downtown Cleveland - and afterward to reporters. ideastream's Bill Rice has more.

Cosgrove broke the health care debate into three main issues - access, quality and cost.  He praised the bill passed over the weekend in the House of Representatives for addressing access, was somewhat less generous when it comes to quality, and as for cost…

Cosgrove:  “I do not see anything in this that will keep the total cost for health care - not necessarily the government’s bill for health care, but the total bill for the country for health care, I don’t see anything in this that’s going to keep that from escalating.”

That’s in line with what some health care analysts, as well as some members of Congress, are saying as the full Senate prepares to take up the debate.  Also Denis Cortise, Cosgrove’s counterpart at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, which - along with Cleveland Clinic - has been cited by the Obama administration as a pioneer in setting new efficiency standards.  Both men call for a widespread shift away from the predominant fee-for-service system to a more outcomes-based approach as the best way to contain costs.  Cortise has said the House and Senate bills take only baby steps in that direction, and Cosgrove agrees. 

Cosgrove:  “I think that costs are going to keep going up, and in order to deal with it they’ll have to come back with more legislation, and have to identify and address some of the things that are driving costs.  And I think it’s going to be multiple.”

Cosgrove said he believes whatever system evolves will be uniquely American.  He doesn’t think Americans would stand for a system such as Britain’s or Canada’s, where patients have to wait for certain tests and treatments.

Bill Rice, 90.3.