Providing Better Health Care For Less Money
()The health care debate on Capitol Hill has basically deteriorated into a choice between raising taxes or cutting care. But a group of health care experts say there's a third option: redesigning the system. Some U.S. communities are already providing better care at lower costs. But can their success be replicated nationwide?
Interactive: How exactly would new health care overhaul legislation affect you?
Doctors Say Health Care Rationing Already Exists()
July 1, 2009 The specter of government rationing of health care is a prime argument being used against overhauling the U.S. system. But some doctors and economists argue that, in effect, the American system is already rationing in the most unproductive ways.
Doctors Say Costs, Not Care, Have Become Focus()
June 30, 2009 As health care costs have soared, many physicians have struggled to manage the business end of health care and provide quality care for their patients. Two doctors, each with more than 30 years of experience, talk with NPR about the changes they've seen in health care, and where the system might be headed.
Are Doctors The Problem With Health Care?()
June 16, 2009 President Obama spoke to the American Medical Association Monday. He acknowledged that doctors are critical to health care reform. Doctors have come under fire for driving up the cost of health care by ordering unnecessary tests and treatments to make an extra buck.
Obama Tries To Sell Health Plan To Doctors()
June 15, 2009 Calling health care costs a "ticking time bomb," he urges physicians at an American Medical Association conference to support his new public insurance system and seeks help finding ways to ensure patients' welfare without unnecessary medical tests or procedures. "If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM — paying more, getting less and going broke," he said.
Doctors Say Current System Impedes Medical Care()
June 15, 2009 Doctors say the current health care system doesn't support good doctor-patient relationships. Too few people have health insurance, and too much time is spent on paperwork rather than listening to patients.
Health Co-Ops Touted As Alternative To Public Plan()
August 19, 2009 After months of debate, the controversial government-sponsored public plan may be dropped from health care overhaul bills. Instead, some are pressing for health co-ops — where the insurance buyers own and run the insurance company — as an alternative way to provide affordable insurance.
Tracking The Overhaul
Shalala: Health Revamp May Mean Doctor Shortage()
August 1, 2009 If millions more Americans get health insurance, will there be enough doctors to handle the increase in patients? Donna Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration, says right now, the answer is no.
