OPINION: 'While the argument stands that cost pressures are real and require difficult conversations and creative solutions, it is counterintuitive for health care leaders to give up on lowering costs across the board – that is the easy way out…
In a recent Pew Research study, reducing health care costs is the second-most-important priority for Americans. And when it comes to health care, affordability is No. 1. From managing the most basic provider visits and medication to chronic conditions and complex treatments, every facet of the health care experience has seen huge cost increases. This makes it even more challenging for Americans, including Arizonans, to access what they need to take charge of their health and well-being.
Some would say that the rising cost of medical care is the result of new medical technologies that allow better and faster diagnosing or improved surgical outcomes, or new drugs that cure or control chronic diseases. These are but a fraction of the increase in cost. At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, our mission is to inspire health and make it easy, and we are committed to doing our part so that this trend does not continue. But it is going to take all of us in the health care space to come together to:
Align incentives to pay providers for value over volume: It is crucial to move away from the sick care model way of thinking to paying for care to keep everyone as healthy as possible. We need to get creative to pay extra reimbursement for certain preventive measures, such as breast cancer screenings and well-child visits, and develop programs that ensure culturally competent, high-quality care that includes medication and disease management.
Tackling rising health care costs is a team sport and requires all of us to step up and make a difference together. It will require innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, and collaboration to move the needle, and I invite Arizona’s health care leaders to do their part. It is our obligation to ensure that we are good stewards of every health care dollar.
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