The AAMC Research and Action Institute has spent much of the last 2 years thinking about Covid-19 and pandemic preparedness but has been working on some of the other problems that never seem to be ‘fixed’ in health policy.
We just released a series of 3 papers focused on the $4 trillion problem of cost…but rather than jump into a lament about why the system of care is so bad and so expensive, these papers ask some questions that we hope policy makers are asking. Because lots of people propose solutions/slogans before they tell us exactly what problems they’re trying to solve.
The papers examine why U.S. health care costs are so high and if any one culprit can be identified; the challenges created by low Medicare and Medicaid payment rates that do not cover provider costs; and an honest international comparison in context, addressing why the U.S. spends so much more on health compared to other countries—and what would lowering expenditures realistically require.
The papers are intended to challenge conventional thinking and offer a look at the tensions underlying our sometimes conflicting goal of spending less—as individuals or society—while needing more from our health care system. Read more here.
I hope you’ll take a moment to read these brief issue papers and let me know what you think below!
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Atul Grover
Inaugural Executive Director
Association of American Medical Colleges
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