New Report: Health Care Reform Can Save Georgia $73 BILLION

Media Contacts
Jeff Bernstein

Former Director of Programming, Explore Booksellers

Policies Before Congress Can Reduce Premiums, Improve Care, Save U.S. $3 trillion

Georgia PIRG Education Fund

Atlanta, August 5 — Health care reform might cost $1 trillion, but it can ultimately save the nation $3 trillion, with billions of dollars of benefits for every state in the union, a new report released today by Georgia Public Interest Research Group notes.

“Without reform, insurance premiums will double over the next eight years,” said Georgia PIRG health care advocate, Sandra Glaze.  “We have the tools to get soaring health care costs under control and we can’t afford to wait any longer.  Congress must act now to pass the strong cost-saving, quality-improving policies that Georgia needs.”  

The $3 Trillion Question: What Health Care Reform Can Save For Families, Businesses and Taxpayers – Georgia PIRG, provides estimates for how much various cost-saving proposals can reduce health spending – all while improving the quality of the care we receive.

The report also endorses a White House proposal that would bring down costs and sidestep political gridlock by empowering a new independent commission, made up of doctors and health care experts to adopt the reforms that can incentivize the highest-quality, most efficient care.

Among the potential savings identified in the report:

·         Streamlining health care billing and cutting red tape can reduce $350 billion of waste.

·         Adoption of health information technology and electronic medical records can save $180 billion.

·         Investing in unbiased research into the best treatments, drugs, and devices can save $480 billion.

·         Creating a public health insurance option to compete on a level playing field with private insurers will reduce national costs by $230 billion or more.

These reforms would save Georgia $72 BILLION over the next decade. 

“Lawmakers are wrangling over how to fund the federal investment in reform,” explained Michael Russo, CALPIRG health care advocate and author of the report.  “But the $1 trillion price tag is two to three times smaller than the potential economic benefits to the country as a whole.  Letting a fear of federal outlays weaken reform legislation will leave our families and businesses out to dry.”