Health care costs in America continue to soar, outpacing wage growth, hurting both consumers and taxpayers. California is uniquely positioned to tackle this thorny issue with a new state policy. Bureau of Medical Expenditureaccording to a panel of industry leaders who spoke at the Sacramento Press Club last week.
Paul Malkovich
The panel, titled “California’s Soaring Health Care Costs Reign,” included Elizabeth Lansburg, California Director of Health Access and Information; Anthony Wright, Health Access Executive Director; Health Purchasing Business Group President and CEO; Elizabeth Mitchell, president of Blue Shield, California, took the stage. And CEO Paul Malkovich.
Panelists told an audience of reporters, policy makers and government officials in the Capitol that while it won’t be easy, states must work to make health care more affordable.
Malkovich began his remarks by affirming the California Blue Shield’s efforts to support the Health Care Cost Control Authority, including setting specific goals to curb rapidly growing health care costs. Ta.
“Blue Shield’s mission is to build a sustainable and affordable healthcare system for everyone that is valuable to family and friends,” he said. “Everything we do, including advocating for policy, ultimately boils down to whether it advances that mission. .”
He said the agency’s goals complement Blue Shield’s vision of developing a more efficient digital health system that eliminates many administrative tasks that are grossly inefficient, manual, and difficult for consumers to navigate. It is, he added. This includes reducing the administrative tasks performed by health care providers to establish more sustainable and cost-effective ways of delivering care.
“We need to give the system more responsibility and pressure to start doing business differently,” Malkovich said. “Too many explanations and accusations. We need to unite and step up our game.”
