U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., invited Obama to visit Grand Junction after the town’s system caught the
eye of researchers from Dartmouth and The New Yorker magazine, which noted its low costs seemed to run counter to national trends. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., has patterned legislation after some of the practices pioneered in the Grand Valley.
Replicating the system dominated by nonprofits such as Rocky Mountain Health Plans, St. Mary’s Hospital, Marillac Clinic and several other organizations would be difficult on several levels, said John Hopkins, chairman of Rocky Mountain Health Plans.
Besides that, Rocky Mountain Health Plans might find itself out of business if the federal government presses ahead with a single-payer system for health care, or even a public option, said Dr. James Schroeder, a Grand Junction practitioner.
If he has the chance to speak with Obama, Hopkins said the emphasis on collaboration in the health-care field has made all the difference in Grand Junction.
“The thing that keeps it all together is the collaboration component,” Hopkins said.
Reform is needed, said Schroeder, who said the best thing the president could do is do less.
The federal government has been distorting the health-care market since the 1950s, when it made health-insurance premiums nontaxable, Schroeder said.
Establishing Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s increased federal activity in health care but without saving money, he said. Costs for the federal programs were off by 300 percent.
Source : www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/06/21/062209_1A_Docs_talk.html
eye of researchers from Dartmouth and The New Yorker magazine, which noted its low costs seemed to run counter to national trends. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., has patterned legislation after some of the practices pioneered in the Grand Valley.Replicating the system dominated by nonprofits such as Rocky Mountain Health Plans, St. Mary’s Hospital, Marillac Clinic and several other organizations would be difficult on several levels, said John Hopkins, chairman of Rocky Mountain Health Plans.
Besides that, Rocky Mountain Health Plans might find itself out of business if the federal government presses ahead with a single-payer system for health care, or even a public option, said Dr. James Schroeder, a Grand Junction practitioner.
If he has the chance to speak with Obama, Hopkins said the emphasis on collaboration in the health-care field has made all the difference in Grand Junction.
“The thing that keeps it all together is the collaboration component,” Hopkins said.
Reform is needed, said Schroeder, who said the best thing the president could do is do less.
The federal government has been distorting the health-care market since the 1950s, when it made health-insurance premiums nontaxable, Schroeder said.
Establishing Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s increased federal activity in health care but without saving money, he said. Costs for the federal programs were off by 300 percent.
Source : www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/06/21/062209_1A_Docs_talk.html
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