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CHA in conjunction with the University of California, the University of Pennsylvania and other state hospital associations, hosted a briefing Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C., for congressional staff on regional variation in Medicare spending.
The briefing featured speakers Tom Rosenthal, M.D., associate vice chancellor, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and chief medical officer, UCLA Healthcare; and Buz Cooper, M.D., professor of medicine and senior fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania. The two professors presented reasons for high Medicare expenditures in certain geographical areas, and why they may be appropriate.
The briefing, attended by approximately 100 people, was held in the U.S. Capitol and open to both House and Senate staff.
The briefing comes at a critical time as House leadership is looking to gain support for health care reform bill H.R. 3200, and is discussing redistributing Medicare funds to areas with low expenditures. This provision would shift funds out of large states, like California, to smaller states. The purpose of the briefing was to educate congressional staff on varying factors that contribute to Medicare spending, such as poverty, diversity and increased quality.
The following attachment is the packet that was distributed to congressional staff at the briefing. It includes the slide presentation, and various academic papers and articles pertaining to variation in Medicare spending.
