Opinion: Calif. Must Address Rising Health Care Costs
In a Capitol Weekly opinion piece, Patrick Johnston -- president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans -- attributes high insurance premiums to the rising cost of medical care. He writes, "As the cost of providing services increases, so do insurance premiums. The only way to shrink the impact on consumers is to bring down the rising cost of medical services." He adds, "With health care costs rising so rapidly, the conversation needs to begin with the prices charged long before Californians receive their premium bills or see the deduction for health insurance on their paycheck." Johnston concludes, "Change must focus on the underlying costs of hospitalization, doctors' care, prescription drugs and all the other ingredients that make up 87 cents out of every $1 in premium prices."
- "Opinion: Addressing the Soaring Cost of Medical Care" (Johnston, Capitol Weekly, 3/14).