Senator Shaheen Floor Statement Discusses Urgent Need to Contain Health Care Costs, November 5, 2009
Mr. President, I thank Senator Hagan for organizing the effort today and also for her great work on the HELP Committee to develop a health care reform bill that can be supported by this body.
Once again we are here to talk about health care reform and why it is so urgently needed. We are at a critical juncture because health care costs are out of control. They are a threat to our families, our small businesses, our economy and, despite all the money we are spending on health care, we are not guaranteed better health outcomes. That means because we are spending money doesn't mean that people are healthier. The truth is, we can control costs and improve quality. We can do this by promoting effective delivery models. Senator Udall did a great job of talking about what that term means in real language. We can promote effective delivery models that empha coordination and individualized care.
As I have said on a number of occasions, I am proud of the innovations that are changing health care delivery in New Hampshire, my home State. One of those that has been recognized nationally is the Dartmouth Atlas project, based in Hanover. Because of the work of the Dartmouth Atlas project, we now know that there are significant variations in the way health care resources are used and how money is spent depending on where we live.
Right now, providers are rewarded for volume rather than for value. There is a chart here that shows that very clearly. It shows the difference in spending among different regions of the country for Medicare patients. As you can see, the areas that are dark red are the most expensive, these areas. The areas that are lightest are the least expensive areas when it comes to cost per Medicare patient--from $5,280 to $6,600 in the lowest spending regions all the way up to $8,600 to $14,360 per Medicare patient in these darkest regions of the country.
Unfortunately, the sad thing about this research is not the changes in cost, but it is the fact that because someone lives in an area where the spending is higher doesn't mean they are going to have better health outcomes. Put very simply, more costly care does not mean better care. This is a fundamental problem with our health care system. The way our health care dollars are being spent right now is analogous to a medical arms race. That is not my term, that is by Dr. Elliott Fisher, from the Atlas Project. Too often we judge the quality of our hospitals, for example, based on a new expansion wing or the latest medical device, and not on comparing the quality of care they provide.
Over the past several months, thousands of my constituents have expressed their concerns about our health care system. Last week, Dr. Jim Kelly, from Hollis, NH, was in my office sharing his concerns and frustrations. Dr. Kelly is a family physician and, like so many of our health care providers, he is dedicated to doing the best job he can for his patients. However, inefficiencies in our system often work against the best efforts of our providers.
Dr. Kelly shared one of those experiences. He talked about one of his patients who was a 73-year-old woman with diabetes who came into his office on a Friday morning with a swollen, red, and tender leg. In addition to her own illness, she is the sole caretaker for her 79-year-old husband who recently had a stroke. Dr. Kelly diagnosed her condition, a relatively common one, as cellulitis, a skin infection which required IV antibiotics. Dr. Kelly gave her the first dose in his office, but Medicare would not cover her infusion therapy at home. As a result, Dr. Kelly was forced to send her to the local emergency room to receive treatment over the weekend. As a result, she had to bring her disabled husband, whom she couldn't leave at home alone, to the emergency room. Both of them were forced to sit in the crowded ER, exposing them to more germs and using resources that could be used much more efficiently.
Unfortunately, our system does not always facilitate efficient and coordinated care. This is too often true with our most vulnerable patients.
But there are innovative projects across the country that have adapted to meet the needs of these individuals. By providing increased outreach and care coordination, one pilot program was able to reduce visits to the emergency room by almost two-thirds, after 2 years of participation.
I recently introduced the REDUCE Act, which is modeled after these successful pilots, and which I believe will change the way care is delivered to these high-risk patients with multiple chronic conditions. I think that is very important to point out.
The REDUCE Act will create demonstration projects in 10 States that are modeled off of these approaches that have been successful in places around the country. This is the type of delivery system reform that improves quality and reduces costs simultaneously.
As I have said many times, the challenge we face is great, but we have the resources and the tools we need to reform our health care system. We can do this in a fiscally responsible way. By improving the way we deliver care, we can maximize efficiency and we can improve quality. This is the type of reform all Americans deserve. This is the type of reform we are working on here in the Senate. This is the type of reform I hope our colleagues will all support.
