PBGH Op-Ed on Cost Containment

NBCH member coalition, Pacific Business Group on Health, has published an op-ed in Politico on the subject of the role of employers in cost containment. The piece includes some specific proposals. Recognizing that action on broad Medicare reform is unlikely this year, PBGH is focusing on the specific issues that Congress seems to be interested in: 1) physician payment reform (including SGR replacement), 2) price transparency, and 3) quality measures. Co-authors David Lansky and Sally Welborn call on Congress to tackle the cost issue head-on by making both public and private-sector payment for care dependent on delivering the high-quality care every hardworking American deserves. They call on employers to work with federal payers to align incentives in all sectors of health care, including for both consumers and providers.