Former FDA Commissioner Kessler Addresses Managed Care Issues On NPR’s Morning Edition

Although managed care is in its "death throes" and the loss is "unlikely to be mourned" by many Americans, consumers "may not be prepared for what's ahead," Dr. David Kessler, dean of the Yale School of Medicine and former FDA commissioner, said in a commentary on NPR's "Morning Edition." Kessler said that "whatever its failings," the managed care system helped to lower health care costs "for a time," but with prescription drug and hospital costs increasing, "the lid has come off the price of health insurance." To offset expenses, employers are cutting benefits or passing costs on to their workers in the form of higher insurance premiums, deductibles and copayments. Kessler noted that the number of uninsured people in working families is approaching 32 million, while the number of small businesses that have stopped offering their employees health insurance "keeps climbing." For those who are insured, the "extra burden" of increasing health care costs can amount to several thousand dollars annually, according to Kessler. He said it is "not clear" what the United States will try next in its efforts to contain health care expenses, but he added that previous public and private sector attempts have "not succeeded for long." Kessler said, "Don't look to Washington for any immediate help. Even in an election year, and maybe because of it, no one in the federal government seems to be in the mood to tackle the problem." Kessler concluded, "It is time to look harder for a fair strategy that offers appropriate health care to those who need it. Voters should be demanding that now. The medical profession should be lending its prestige to the effort. Legislators should have the courage to act. But it takes a president to lead" (Kessler, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/19).
The full segment is available online in RealPlayer Audio.