The Plan for Health Reform

Health Reform Proposal Executive Summary

Many Americans believe the United States has the best medical system in the world, but what we have is the largest, most expensive healthcare system. The U.S. spendd more on health care than any other country, but falls behind most other developed countries on quality and access to care.

Health spending in the U.S. was an estimated $2.4 trillion in 2008, an average of $7,868 per person. The share of the economy (GDP) devoted to national health spending has increased from 7.2 percent in 1970 to an estimated 16.6 percent in 2008. This level of spending cannot be sustained.

Read the Entire Executive Summary >>

Overview and Goals for Reform

At the 2007 Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) board of directors’ retreat, the board reviewed the McKinsey Global Institute report that compares U.S. healthcare spending with expenditures in other developed countries. The report concluded the U.S. spends more on health care than any other developed country. Following that retreat, the THA board authorized the association to form a group of prominent Tennessee “thought leaders” to devise a healthcare reform plan for Tennessee. This group, chaired by Clayton McWhorter and named the Rolling Hills Group, was established and met as a group throughout 2008.

The overall goal of the group was to establish a health reform plan for Tennessee that can serve as a structural model for other states and the nation. The Rolling Hills Group agreed that states, like Tennessee, should serve as a testing ground for the federal government to determine which proposals could gain bipartisan support and work best to expand coverage and control costs. The federal government should help fund the states’ reform efforts before attempting to provide coverage to 47 million uninsured and reform a $2.2 trillion dollar healthcare system.

Read the Entire Overview >>

Summary of Deliberations and Recommendations

The charge to the Rolling Hills Group was to develop a healthcare reform plan for Tennessee that can serve as a model for other state and federal reform efforts. In addition to five hospital and health system CEOs and CAOs--Jim Brexler, Erlanger Health System, Chuck Whitfield, Laughlin Memorial Hospital, Larry Kloess, TriStar Health System-HCA, Reginald Coopwood, MD, Nashville General Hospital, and Bob Gordon, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation--the members are Marlin Chapman, Nissan North America, Marilyn Dubree, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Dan Elrod, Miller & Martin; Aubrey Harwell, Neal & Harwell; Tom Kinser, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (retired); Kevin Lavender, Fifth Third Bank; Lynn Massingale, MD, Team Health; and Craig Becker, THA.

Read the Entire Summary of Deliberations and Recommendations >>