Health Care Expenditures Reexamined
Authors: Victor R. Fuchs
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Editorials5 July 2005Health Care Expenditures ReexaminedVictor R. Fuchs, PhD, MAVictor R. Fuchs, PhD, MAFrom Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-143-1-200507050-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Concern about health care expenditures is not a new phenomenon. Seventy-five years ago, President Herbert Hoover appointed a committee to investigate the cost of medical care under the chairmanship of Ray Lyman Wilbur, MD, president of Stanford University (1). Thirty-eight years ago, John Gardner, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, convened a national conference on medical care costs (2). Since then, not a year has passed without professional and lay periodicals addressing this subject. Most recently, Annals has published 4 articles by Thomas Bodenheimer on health care costs, the last of which, coauthored by Alicia Fernandez, appears in this issue ...References1. Report of the Committee on Cost of Medical Care. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 1931. Google Scholar2. U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Report of the National Conference on Medical Care Costs. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 1967. Google Scholar3. Bodenheimer T. High and rising health care costs. Part 1: seeking an explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:847-54. [PMID: 15897535] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Bodenheimer T. High and rising health care costs. Part 2: technologic innovation. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:932-7. LinkGoogle Scholar5. Bodenheimer T. High and rising health care costs. Part 3: the role of health care providers. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:996-1002. LinkGoogle Scholar6. Bodenheimer T, Fernandez A. High and rising health care costs. Part 4: can costs be controlled while preserving quality? Ann Intern Med. 2005;143:26-31. LinkGoogle Scholar7. Reinhardt UE, Hussey PS, Anderson GF. U.S. health care spending in an international context. Health Aff (Millwood). 2004;23:10-25. [PMID: 15160799] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Fuchs VR, Hahn JS. How does Canada do it? A comparison of expenditures for physicians' services in the United States and Canada. N Engl J Med. 1990;323:884-90. [PMID: 2118594] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Redelmeier DA, Fuchs VR. Hospital expenditures in the United States and Canada. N Engl J Med. 1993;328:772-8. [PMID: 8437598] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Pear R. Medicare says ‘06 premiums will rise $11. The New York Times. 1 April 2005:A12. Google Scholar11. Fuchs VR. More variation in use of care, more flat-of-the-curve medicine. Health Affairs Web Exclusive. 2004;10.1377:104-7. CrossrefGoogle Scholar12. Kessler DP, McClellan MB. How liability law affects medical productivity. J Health Econ. 2002;21:931-55. [PMID: 12475119] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Council of Economic Advisors. Economic Report of the President. Tables B-47 and B-90. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 2005. Available at www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/. Google Scholar14. Fuchs VR, Garber AM. Health and medical care.. In: Aaron HJ, Lindsay JM, Nivola PS, eds. Agenda for the Nation. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution Pr; 2003:145-81. Google Scholar15. Devlin N, Parkin D. Does NICE have a cost-effectiveness threshold and what other factors influence its decisions? A binary choice analysis. Health Econ. 2004;13:437-52. [PMID: 15127424] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. Emanuel EJ, Fuchs VR. Health care vouchers—a proposal for universal coverage. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:1255-60. [PMID: 15788504] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.Acknowledgments: The author thanks Ezekiel Emanuel and Alan Garber for helpful comments.Disclosures: Dr. Fuchs has received honoraria for speeches given to medical, hospital, and other health organizations.Current Author Address: Victor R. Fuchs, PhD, MA, 30 Alta Road, Stanford, CA 94305; e-mail, [email protected]stanford.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHigh and Rising Health Care Costs. Part 4: Can Costs Be Controlled While Preserving Quality? Thomas Bodenheimer and Alicia Fernandez Metrics Cited ByA survey on measuring efficiency through the determination of the least distance in data envelopment analysisPrinciples of health economics and application to rheumatic disordersBenchmarking in Healthcare: An Approach Based on Closest TargetsThe effect of experience, ownership and focus on productive efficiency: A longitudinal study of U.S. hospitalsA Systematic Review of Health Care Efficiency MeasuresWhy U.S. health care expenditure and ranking on health care indicators are so different from Canada’sHealth Policy and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Yes We Can. Yes We Must.John B. Wong, MD, Cynthia Mulrow, MD, MSc, Deputy Editor, and Harold C. Sox, MD, EditorWillingness to pay for a reduction in mortality risk after a myocardial infarction: an application of the contingent valuation method to the case of eplerenoneThe economics of blood transfusion in the 21st centuryInterpreting the Economic Literature in OncologyTeleradiology: A Case Study Of The Economic And Legal Considerations In International Trade In TelemedicineWhy Do Patients Choose Chemotherapy Near the End of Life? A Review of the Perspective of Those Facing Death From CancerSmith vs. Bentham: Implication for Hospital CompetitionInternational Law, Telemedicine & Health Insurance: China as a Case Study 5 July 2005Volume 143, Issue 1Page: 76-78KeywordsDecision makingDrugsEnvironmental healthFoodHealth careHealth insuranceInformation technologyMedicareMotivationPublic policy ePublished: 5 July 2005 Issue Published: 5 July 2005 CopyrightCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...