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Today's political briefing: Key developments
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Utah Health Care: Model for the Nation
As the Legislature’s Health Care Task Force begins meeting again, members should be aware of the excellent quality and low cost of health care in Utah (see below).
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News Highlights
Special session on tax reform is cancelled because of a $35 million error in assessing costs of a flatter tax (Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News and Daily Herald).
Utah’s tax freedom day is April 18, the same as in 1970, and the 16th best in the country (Morning News).
Tribune editorial endorses petition drive to eliminate Utah’s winner-take-all allotment of its five electoral votes, allocating them in proportion to the number of votes received. |
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by Jana Truman For Davis County Commission
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Quote of the Day
"I wouldn't presume that I could move into leadership right away. At some point, yes, I'd like to be speaker."
-- Kevin Garn, former House majority leader, who is running for the Legislature again. Morning News story by Bob Bernick focuses on Garn and former Speaker Mel Brown, who are both attempting comebacks. |
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Thursday Buzz
Written by LaVarr Webb & Associates
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UPD Taking a Break
Utah Policy Daily is taking a spring break this week. While vacationing we have limited Internet access, so we will produce and send the newsletter each day, but it will be a streamlined version.
Washington Watch
Sen. Orrin Hatch writes op-ed on the right to bear arms safely: “… I have introduced the Child Protection and Home Safety Act of 2005. This bipartisan bill promotes the safe storage of firearms by providing a 25 percent tax credit toward the purchase of a gun safe” (Star-Telegram).
Rep. Jim Matheson reminds Utahns they have until May 8 to send comments to the Bureau of Land Management about why a proposal to transport high-level nuclear waste to Utah's west desert should be blocked (See press release).
Blog Watch
Democracy For Utah promotes free online classes on grassroots organizing... New West carries a speech by former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm, a staunch Democrat who is also a staunch opponent of immigration... Utah Planners’ Corner talks about the need to educate the public before holding public hearings, so people know the parameters limiting decisions... Weber County Forum sets up a discussion thread for comments about proposed east-side development... Dee’s Dotes talks about the environmental benefits of vegetarianism... The Good In Ogden laments about how the public seems to be afraid of getting facts about issues (like east-side development)... One Utah reports on a hot immigration debate at the SL Library and asks: “If the Iraqis are so deserving of the rights of man, at great cost to this country, then shouldn’t our undocumented residents be equally entitled to such rights?”
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Advocacy Essay
Utah Health Care is Model for Nation
(LaVarr Webb does consulting work in the health care industry, including for Intermountain Healthcare. This article reflects his own opinion and was not done at the request of anyone else.) |
The Legislature’s Health Care Task Force kicks off its second year of meetings today at 9 a.m. in W135. A major agenda item is to consider to what extent the Task Force has fulfilled the assignments given it by the full Legislature. The Task Force must establish a course and workplan for its final year of study. It will report to the full Legislature at the end of this year.
As task force members determine their workplan, they ought to keep in perspective the overall quality and cost of health care in Utah. It’s worth noting that Utah’s overall system, far from being broken, is among the best in the country with the lowest prices and the highest quality of service and care.
This reality has been demonstrated in a number of studies, and was reinforced at a Salt Lake Chamber luncheon in mid-March by Dr. John E. Wennberg, one of the nation’s foremost and respected researchers of health care costs and quality. Wennberg, a physician himself, is principal investigator and series editor of The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. He has studied health care costs and quality in every state in the country, and he concludes that Utah has the best anywhere.
Wennberg found wide variations in the cost and quality of health care delivery in different areas of the nation, dependent largely upon the supply of medical resources available and the practice patterns of local physicians.
Absent a true free market environment in health care, Wennberg found that the areas with the best and lowest-cost health care were those with large, integrated systems such as the Salt Lake area served by Intermountain Healthcare and the Rochester, Minn., area served by the Mayo Clinic.
Wennberg found that national Medicare spending would be a remarkable 32% lower for inpatient care and 36% lower for physician visits if all areas of the country delivered health care the way it’s delivered in the Salt Lake area. He attributed the excellent results, in part, to the fully integrated services provided by Intermountain Healthcare. “Where is the wisdom in health care today? A lot of it is located here in this community,” he told the Chamber crowd. “Unintegrated, disorganized care is so inefficient,” Wennberg said. “The kind of dedication needed to rationalize health care can only be done by a system.”
In a study of Medicare claims data, Wennberg showed total resources expended per patient were more than twice as high in Manhattan ($68,700) compared to the Salt Lake area ($26,700). Los Angeles ($58,500) and Miami ($46,200) were also much higher.
Physician labor (FTE inputs per 1,000 patients) was also much higher in other areas than in the Salt lake region. Clinical care quality was far higher in the Salt Lake area.
Wennberg’s data are supported by experiences of many businesses. I’m aware of one big Utah employer with large operations both in Utah and in Texas. The CEO of the company told me he will most likely close the Texas operation eventually and consolidate in Utah, primarily because his costs for employee health insurance and related expenses in Texas are double what they are in Utah. Whatever Utah is doing, it must keep it up, he said.
The Health Care Task Force is charged with analyzing the competitive climate in the Utah health care industry and considering whether any problems or abuses exist. Intermountain Healthcare has been the focus of much attention and discussion in the Task Force meetings because of its size and reach in Utah and its not-for-profit status. Wennberg said it is precisely those attributes – size, full integration, not-for-profit, and control over a sizable chunk of the health care industry -- that allow Intermountain Healthcare to provide products and services at the best prices in the country, while maintaining excellent quality.
There are many worthwhile issues for the Task Force to focus on this year. But it ought to be careful not to mess up the excellent health care system Utah has, which is the envy of the nation. |
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Thursday
April 13, 2006
Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com
- Apr 13: Hinckley Forum “A Visit with the Governor,” 9:10 a.m., Orson Spencer Hall room 255, University of Utah. Guest Governor Jon Huntsman.
- Apr 13: Midday Metro on KCPW 88.3 FM at 10 a.m.: A conversation on nuclear testing and immigration reform with Congressman Jim Matheson; the origins of the modern human rights movement with U of U professor Elizabeth Borgwardt, whose book “A New Deal for the New World” has been nominated for a Pulitzer. Call 801-355-TALK or email midday@kcpw.org to participate.
- Apr 13: Lt. Gov.Hebert to speak at Utah Association of Realtors Campus Groundbreaking Event, 11:30 a.m., 255 West 9670 South, Sandy.
- Apr 13: Chris Cannon Delegate Lunch, 12:00 to1:30 p.m., Frontier Village, 1450 N Main, Ritchfield. RSVP at 801-374-3002 or rsvp@chriscannon.com.
- Apr 13: Senator Scott Jenkins to speak to Weber County Teen Republicans, 4 p.m., Weber County Library Main Branch, 2464 Jefferson Avenue, Ogden. TARS meetings are held monthly. Elections will be held for TARS leadership. All Weber County teens are invited. Contact Chair-Sarah Hampton at 801-737-1110 or Advisors Lisa and Brad Galvez 801-392-8591.
- Apr 13: Chris Cannon Delegate Dinner, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Sami’s Restaurant, 115 N Main St, Manti. RSVP at 801-374-3002 or rsvp@chriscannon.com.
- Apr 13: Legislative District 56 Candidate/Delegate Open House, 6:30 p.m., Ranches Academy Charter School in Eagle Mountain. Food will be provided and all district 56 county delegates are encouraged to attend. For more information or directions please contact Erin Madsen, Leg. 56 Vice-chair at erin@votemadsen.com.
- Apr 13: Salt Lake County District Attorney candidate Kent Morgan event at John Nielsen's House, 7 to 9 p.m., 3571 East Summerhill Dr (7720 South), Salt Lake City.
- Apr 13: Pete Ashdown to speak at the BYU Unix Users Group Meeting about Open-Source Politics, 7:30 p.m., Crabtree 250, Provo.
- Apr 14: Chris Cannon Delegate Breakfast, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., Courtyard Marriott, 10701 South Holiday Park Dr, Sandy. RSVP at 801-374-3002 or rsvp@chriscannon.com.
- Apr 14: 1st Annual University of Utah Impact Day, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., patio of the Olpin Union Building, University of Utah campus. Register to vote, join a campaign, meet local candidates, get involved in campus groups, prizes and music, win a free trip to D.C. For more information see www.ustudents.com.
- Apr 14: Hinckley Forum “South African - U.S. Relations,” 10:45 a.m., Orson Spencer Hall room 255, University of Utah. Guest is Her Excellency Barbara Joyce Mosima Masekela, South African ambassador to the United States.
- Apr 14: Pete Ashdown to meet with students at University of Utah Impact Days, 11 a.m., Olpin Union Plaza, Salt Lake.
- Apr 14: Policy Round Table "USTAR, Investment, and our Universities: What is USTAR? How does it work? Who gets access to the funding?" 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Alta Club, 100 E South Temple, Salt Lake City. Speakers include Scott Anderson, President of Zions Bank, and David Buhler, Commissioner for Higher Education. Please RSVP by emailing Dan Burton at policy.round.table@gmail.com. Questions call Mark Crockett at 801-550-5343 or Dan Burton at 801-358-3613.
- Apr 14: Utah Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects presents its Second Annual Olmsted Lecture, 4 p.m., Gore Concert Hall, Westminster College. This year's lecture will focus on the collaborative design process that resulted in the successful resolution of the Legacy Parkway controversy. See the unveiling of new preliminary plans and details for the redesigned Legacy Parkway. A light reception will follow. For more information contact Brian Carver at 801-538-1153 or bcarver@utah.gov
- Apr 14: Chris Cannon Delegate Evening Barbecue, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Pioneer Hall, 1140 West 7800 South, West Jordan. RSVP at 801-374-3002 or rsvp@chriscannon.com.
- Apr 14: Emery County Republican Convention, 7 p.m., Castledale Recreation Center 75 S. 400 E.
- Apr 15: Salt Lake County District Attorney candidate Kent Morgan event at the Prudential Building, 2nd Floor, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., 6671 S. Redwood Road West Jordan.
- Apr 15: Chris Cannon Lunch Delegate Barbecue, 12 to 2 p.m., Kiwanis Park, 829 North 1100 East, Provo. RSVP at 801-374-3002 or rsvp@chriscannon.com.
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- See the entire calendar
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