It's Not Brain Surgery: Tackling Obesity Reduces Health Care Costs, Policy Docs Agree

Dr. Mark McClellan,  Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and chair in health policy studies at the Brookings Institution, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration  under President George W. Bush and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2004 through 2006, asked how can we support real health care reform without getting in the way of innovative care or services. 

McClellan, a Harvard-trained medical doctor and an economist, mentioned more efficient care for chronic diseases, care coordination and patient-focused support. He talked about efforts to stay healthier and have government services concentrate on preventive services, noting the efficacy of a pilot program to prevent diabetes with a program to start tracking blood sugar, and the like. 

There were significant reductions in cost with this pilot program, which was carried out while he was at CMS, McClellan said. 

But it is not easy to legislate certain reforms or ways to stay healthier, he noted. 

Bill Hoagland, public policy and government affairs director of Cigna, noted that there are many costs driving higher health costs, but half of it is driven by technology, with all the advancements going into  medicine today.  Hoagland  did mention lifestyle changes as well, lower out of pocket costs, supply and distribution processes, benefit management and federal and state regulatory requirements. 

Hoagland said Medicare and Medicaid are the biggest single fiscal issue in America now, not defense, not the farm industry and agriculture.