Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas We dont have health care in America - we have sick care said Lt. Governor David Dewhurst who along with Senate Health Committee Chairman Jane Nelson introduced Senate Bills 7 and 8 to increase health care savings for the State of Texas create flexibility for providers enhance transparency & improve medical outcomes for patients.
Studies by Dartmouth Institute and others indicate that we can save money and improve medical outcomes by incentivizing doctors and hospitals to use best practices and focus on wellness and prevention rather than the number of procedures they perform said Dewhurst.
Lt. Governor Dewhurst said Senate Bills 7 and 8 will give doctors and hospitals the flexibility to work together to improve health care delivery and ultimately reduce the rising costs associated with programs like Medicaid.
Over the last decade Medicaid spending has more than doubled and funding for Health and Human Services now represents almost one-third of the state budget.
These bills move us toward a payment system that rewards quality outcomes rather than quantity of services along with reducing our costs for unnecessary tests and preventable hospital readmissions said Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound).
We need to refocus our payment system on the true goal: healthy outcomes for Texans.
Unlike Obamacare - which grows government raises taxes increases regulations and mandates individuals to purchase health insurance -
Senate Bills 7 and 8 take a free market approach by changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid and ultimately changing the way we look at health care.
Senate Bills 7 and 8 create incentives for physicians and hospitals as well as other health care providers to collaborate and focus on outcomes said Dan Stultz President and CEO of the
Texas Hospital Association.
Removing antitrust barriers and creating financial incentives will help drive the movement to improve quality and over time lead to tangible cost savings and better outcomes Stultz said.
