Improving Healthcare Value
Oct 7, 2011
In 2008, Emory University received funding from the Foundation to create and support the work of the Center for Entitlement Reform. Under the direction of Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe, the Center focuses on research and analysis of federal healthcare spending and the development of new policy options to target the true underlying causes of rising healthcare costs.
Over the course of the grant, the Center designed six proposals for reducing costs while improving outcomes within the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Much of the research has been disseminated among healthcare researchers, and Dr. Thorpe continues his outreach to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and to members of Congress as entitlement program spending remains an important item in ongoing budget talks.
The sixth proposal, which focuses on promoting wellness programs within the Medicare system, was featured in the September 2011 issue of Health Affairs. In the article, Dr. Thorpe proposes that expanding a “proven, community-based weight loss program nationwide . . . could save Medicare $1.8–$2.4 billion over the following ten years.” If all of the Center for Entitlement Reform’s proposals were to be implemented, the potential savings is over $300 billion over 10 years.
Further Reading
Chart Pack: Fiscal Outlook
The national debt is already at its highest level since just after World War II, and annual deficits are on an upward trajectory.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act Is the Most Expensive Reconciliation Package in Recent History
This week, lawmakers in Congress approved reconciliation legislation that will add trillions of dollars to America’s already unsustainable fiscal trajectory
Healthcare Costs Are a Major Driver of the National Debt and Here’s the Biggest Reason Why
One of the largest drivers of that rising debt is federal spending on major healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid.