While the war in Iraq continues to dominate our attention and the national debate, a quiet revolution is taking place in the health care system, as more and more companies are advancing toward consumer-driven models. Greg Scandlen, director of Galen’s Center for Consumer Driven Health Care, has produced a paper that provides the best and most concise guide available of the tools available and the policy fixes needed to give consumers more control over their resources and decisions in health care. In his paper, “?New Tools for a New Paradigm,? he describes 10 innovations, from Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements to Internet-based information systems that are fueling ?a burst of innovation and energy? for new approaches in health care financing and delivery. ?We are entering the Information Age with decentralization, customization, and empowerment,? he writes. ?The new age is infinitely more complex and precise than the old one, but Americans are infinitely better educated and better able to manage complexity than ever before. ?The best way for people to express their needs, values and desires is through a market-based system that gives them the power to spend resources in keeping with those values.? Each week in his newsletter, Consumer Choice Matters, Greg offers witty and insightful reports on developments in the world of consumer-driven health care. Greg’s experience in the world of insurance and policy, coupled with his unshakable belief in the power of markets and the value of consumer choice, make his newsletter a must-read for those who want to stay ahead of the curve on this issue. To subscribe, simply reply to this message and tell us you’d like to receive CCM, and we’ll be happy to add you to the distribution list. Meanwhile, meetings, conferences, and speeches continue as we advance the conversation over free-market reform. It’s not too late to sign up today for the major conference on Toward Affordable Coverage: Prescriptions for Today in Washington at the Ronald Reagan Building. You’ll hear administration officials, congressional leaders, and policy experts from our Consensus Group, including yours truly, offer observations and insights on the new health care revolution underway. The events section below has a link to registration. Hope to see you there. Grace-Marie Turner
Grace-Marie Turner is president of the Galen Institute, a not-for-profit research organization focusing on ideas to promote free-market health reform. She can be reached at P.O. Box 19080, Alexandria, VA, 22320.
Advancing
While the war in Iraq continues to dominate our attention and the national debate, a quiet revolution is taking place in the health care system, as more and more companies are advancing toward consumer-driven models. Greg Scandlen, director of Galen’s Center for Consumer Driven Health Care, has produced a paper that provides the best and most concise guide available of the tools available and the policy fixes needed to give consumers more control over their resources and decisions in health care. In his paper, “?New Tools for a New Paradigm,? he describes 10 innovations, from Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements to Internet-based information systems that are fueling ?a burst of innovation and energy? for new approaches in health care financing and delivery. ?We are entering the Information Age with decentralization, customization, and empowerment,? he writes. ?The new age is infinitely more complex and precise than the old one, but Americans are infinitely better educated and better able to manage complexity than ever before. ?The best way for people to express their needs, values and desires is through a market-based system that gives them the power to spend resources in keeping with those values.? Each week in his newsletter, Consumer Choice Matters, Greg offers witty and insightful reports on developments in the world of consumer-driven health care. Greg’s experience in the world of insurance and policy, coupled with his unshakable belief in the power of markets and the value of consumer choice, make his newsletter a must-read for those who want to stay ahead of the curve on this issue. To subscribe, simply reply to this message and tell us you’d like to receive CCM, and we’ll be happy to add you to the distribution list. Meanwhile, meetings, conferences, and speeches continue as we advance the conversation over free-market reform. It’s not too late to sign up today for the major conference on Toward Affordable Coverage: Prescriptions for Today in Washington at the Ronald Reagan Building. You’ll hear administration officials, congressional leaders, and policy experts from our Consensus Group, including yours truly, offer observations and insights on the new health care revolution underway. The events section below has a link to registration. Hope to see you there. Grace-Marie Turner
Grace-Marie Turner is president of the Galen Institute, a not-for-profit research organization focusing on ideas to promote free-market health reform. She can be reached at P.O. Box 19080, Alexandria, VA, 22320.