Reports Examine Cost Impact of Near Universal Coverage Proposal, Geographic Variations in Health Care Spending

• "Cost Analysis Impact for the 'Health Care for America' Proposal," Lewin Group: The report analyzes the potential costs of a proposal that would create a new national health insurance pool modeled after Medicare that calls for employers, individuals and the federal government to share responsibility. According to the report, the proposal would reduce the number of uninsured U.S. residents by 46.5 million people, or 97.3% of the uninsured. The report also finds the program would control health care spending by limiting provider payment increases, negotiating deeper prescription drug discounts and streamlining administration. The report estimates that under the proposal, total national health spending from 2008 through 2017 would be about $1.04 trillion less than under the current system ("Cost Analysis Impact for the 'Health Care for America' Proposal," Lewin Group, 2/15).
  
  
• "Geographic Variation in Health Care Spending," Congressional Budget Office: The paper examines the amount of and trends in geographic variation in health care spending in the U.S., focusing primarily on Medicare spending, and the main causes of the variation. The paper also examines the relationship between spending and quality of care, and it discusses how that relationship impacts health care in the U.S. and how the U.S. health care system could be more efficient ("Geographic Variation in Health Care Spending," CBO, February 2008).