Poll: 75 Percent Of Public Wants Gov’t Action On Health Costs

By Jessica Alpert (@jessprk)
Oct 25, 2011, 3:30 PM
7 Comments

Of those polled, 77 percent said high health care costs was due in major part to drug companies charging too much money. (AP)

In our weekly CommonHealth segment, we look at a new study which shows most Massachusetts residents, regardless of party affiliation, advocate for state government intervention to help bring skyrocketing health care costs down.

Guests:

Bob Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, Harvard School of Public Health; director of poll
Joshua Archambault, Director of Health Care Policy, Pioneer Institute
Brian Rosman, Director of Research, Health Care For All

More:

Poll: Three-Quarters Of Public Want Government Action On Health Costs

Anonymous

Meghna, it is bad enough that the guest says incentivize, but you should know better!

Meghna Chakrabarti

I know. Even worse, I said, “To incent.” Ugh. That’s as bad as when I hear people say, “How will it impact the situation?” I take a total mea culpa on this. Does it help to know that I cringed as soon as I said it, even though you can’t see me cringe on the radio?

Anonymous

Just don’t do it again. I’ll be listening! :)

Bob

Megna, There are solutions but they are lost in politics and misinformation sponsored by the insurance and big pharma who has a lot (or everything) to lose if the government takes over. Look at Europe and Canada and % of GDP and the measurements of quality. Paying for outcomes, single payer are I think inevitable. Simply stated there are “too many parties who take a % of each health care dollar” that have nothing to do with patient care. Take a look at Lower Costs and Better Care for Neediest Patients : The New Yorker Jan 24, 2011 for results from the poorest most challenged community in NJ. – It is possible to fix it, the issue is intrenched parties who will no longer be making money once the system is fixed.

Meghna Chakrabarti

Bob,

I read that New Yorker article you’re referring to. It was tremendous. A very compelling example of how a total sea change in thinking – even on a small scale – can have a tremendous impact. That’s one of the reasons I asked on the air, for any set of solutions that is found to work for smaller projects, is there a way to bring them to scale (even with the interests of various entrenched parties) without government intervention?

Does anyone have examples of this in other industries? There must be some.

KatyinQuincy

Speak it, Megna!

We have an HSA insurance account, and see the cost of health care in print- we need to pay most of it out of pocket.

$465 for a 5 minut office visit to reduce my daughter’s arm…

$375 for an infected fingernail…

$1075 for an ER visit that the doc said “she would make if SHE were my child’s mother.” (My baby had a COLD.

I don’t think the DOCS know how much these routine procedures cost.

Oh, and it’s not possible to negotiate a cash cost.

HELP! The people of MAssachusetts are drowning in routine health care costs.

(I just have become a much better provider at home. We rarely see the doctor anymore).

Martha Bebinger

Hi KatyinQuincy – we’d love to hear more of your story at healthcaresavvy.wbur.org. If you want to chat, I’m marthab@wbur:disqus .org.

Hosts Meghna Chakrabarti and Anthony Brooks introduce us to newsmakers, big thinkers and artists and bring us stories of relevance to Bostonians here and around the region. Live every weekday at 3.

Listen: Weekdays, 3 p.m. on 90.9 FM
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Poll: 75 Percent Of Public Wants Gov’t Action On Health Costs