The Cost of Quality in Health

The Boston Globe
June 20, 2007

People in the Boston area are proud of their healthcare system, and with good reason.  It is one of the most powerful engines of the regional economy, and has helped produce a 79 1/2 - year average life expectancy in Massachusetts, 18 months longer than the US average, which places the state between Italy and Austria in world rankings.

But the system is among the most expensive in the world, and faces a threat from unexpected sources -- sluggish economic growth and the high cost of housing.  The New England Healthcare Institute, supported by the Boston Foundation, is to be applauded for bringing attention to the issue and seeking a consensus for solutions.

The institute explains the problem in its report "The Boston Paradox: Lots of Healthcare, Not Enough Health."  With young people leaving the state for more affordable locations, the workforce increasingly includes older people, more likely to be afflicted with such ailments as cancer and heart disease.  The problem is worsened by the state's rising obesity epidemic, since overweight people are more prone to diabetes.  Chronic diseases mean higher costs. 

...Over the nest few months, the New England Healthcare Institute will work on a strategy for controlling costs.  The institute, a coalition of healthcare providers, technology companies, and health policy specialists, will have to prove that more care does not necessarily mean better health. 

Link to Full Article: http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/other/articles/2007/06/20/the_cost_of_quality_in_health/