What’s Behind Easing Health Care Costs? Some Say Economic Woes, Others See Long-Term Change

This Washington Post article states that health care spending has eased up recently, bringing a welcome respite for government and corporate budgets. But experts who track health care’s economic indicators like the vital signs of a patient disagree on the diagnosis and what the future holds. One explanation for the slowdown says it’s a temporary consequence of the recession and an economy that can’t seem to hit its stride. A more hopeful view says American medicine is moving from disjointed solo practice to teamwork models aimed at keeping patients healthier, and that’s a permanent change.

The article profiles two doctors who hold very different views on the the issue.