Don’t Just Blame Hospitals and Docs for High Health Spending. Texas Keeps Dropping the Ball

Health care prices are high in Dallas, and utilization is even higher. But don’t just blame hospitals, doctors and other providers.Many factors contribute to rising health costs, from government policies to obesity rates to the number of physicians per person. Not surprisingly, Texas ranks low on many such measures.And when lawmakers get a chance to move the needle, they often disappoint.Gov. Greg Abbott recently resisted a 10% tax on e-cigarettes and vaping products, and the bill later died. That frustrated Stephen Love, CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, because he believes it will lead to more young people becoming addicted to nicotine.“When health care costs increase, everyone blames providers,” Love wrote in an email. “But the executive and legislative branches of our state government must do their part.” He acknowledged that hospitals, physicians and other providers bear some responsibility for the unrelenting rise in health spending. From 2013 to 2017, such spending in Texas grew 18.5%, which was three times faster than inflation and faster than the increase nationwide.Texas leaders could help, Love said, by being more aggressive in fighting smoking, promoting wellness, recruiting doctors and — most important — expanding access to health insurance.“I’m not expecting the government to do it all, but it should help shape the framework” for improvement, Love said in a phone interview.  Continue reading...