Morning Rounds: Another French Paradox, House Dems Reject Deal & Bad Beef

The cost of health care is a problem almost everywhere. Take a look at France, as the Wall Street Journal does today, and find that some of the cost-control techniques pioneered in the U.S. are now being trotted out there to reduce health spending.

France has achieved nearly universal coverage for its citizens, but the cost of care is a problem. Health expenditures ran at 11 percent of the French GDP in 2007, the highest figure in Western Europe, though still a long way from the 16 percent spent in the U.S., according to OECD data.

For Americans, the WSJ writes, "The French system's fragile solvency shows how tough it is to provide universal coverage while controlling costs, the professed twin goals of President Barack Obama's proposed overhaul."

One question: What's French for co-pay?

 

The White House may have cut a deal with drugmakers to shield the companies from further costs cuts after they agreed to provide $80 billion in cost savings over 10 years, but House Democrats have their own ideas.

NPR's Julie Rovner reports on the backlash against the recent affirmation of the drug industry's privileged status in negotiations over health overhaul. "The House of Representatives were not party to any deal with the big drug manufacturers and, instead, we believe it's important to save consumers money, and to save the government money by lowering the cost of prescription drugs," Florida Democrat Kathy Castor tells Rovner.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), an author of the House health bill, is ready to fight. The drug industry, represented by its main trade group PhRMA, should dig deeper, he tells the New York Times:

PhRMA would like to see if they can get a bargain. I think that PhRMA should contribute more than PhRMA wants to contribute.

Heading out to the backyard for a little grilling this weekend? If hamburgers are on the menu, make sure the ground beef didn't come from the latest batch that could be contaminated with salmonella.

A California company is recalling more than 800,000 pounds of ground beef. Most of the people who got sick in Colorado bought their meat at Safeway, though the beef was repackaged and sold in many stores.