HMSA on health care reform

We are approaching a crisis point. Unsustainable increases in health care costs threaten the financial security of families and hinder the economic recovery of our nation.

The sheer number and complexity of interacting parts of health care reform make it challenging to answer the question, "Where does the Hawaii Medical Service Association stand in all of this"?

We stand on the fundamentals.

HMSA supports access to quality, affordable health care. We support an active and innovative private sector role in health care. We support choice in physicians and health plans. We support government programs that provide access to health care for the most vulnerable in our society. We support accountability and transparency in all sectors of the health care industry. We support outcome-based medicine and best practices in health care. We support consumer empowerment and individual responsibility for health behaviors. And, we support an economically sustainable health care system.

As Hawaii's largest provider of health care coverage, HMSA supports effective and affordable reform. Controlling costs and providing access to quality care have always been our goals, so today's discussions about health care reform are in line with our philosophy and efforts throughout the 70-plus years we've served the people of Hawaii. True reform will happen only with the involvement of everyone in the health care system.

As individuals, we need to take responsibility for our health -- eating well, exercising and avoiding risky behaviors.

Health care providers need to make sure they're offering the right care at the right time. That doesn't mean more procedures or tests that simply drive up costs. It means influencing patients to take an active role in managing their health and the delivery of care with measurable results demonstrating that patients are healthier.

The government needs to ensure that it pays its fair share. On average, a family of four with a private health plan pays an additional $1,800 a year to subsidize what Medicare and Medicaid pay physicians and hospitals. These government programs need to pay for the true cost of care.