Health Care
WPC's Center for Health Care develops patient-centered solutions to reduce costs and improve the availability and quality of health care for businesses and individuals, providing the only detailed, independent critique of health care issues available in the Northwest.
What's New
Biosimilars: The Precarious Struggle between Cost-driven Health Care Policy and Patient-centered Care
Biosimilar drugs offer the very real possibility of providing patients with quality alternative medicines and enhanced treatments at better prices. But bringing biosimilar drugs to patients depends on achieving a transparent, predictable, competitive marketplace, protected by strong intellectual property and regulatory systems.
Key Findings
Limiting Lawsuit Costs Would Make Health Care More Affordable
Everyone agrees the rising cost of health care in the United States is unsustainable. Last year Americans spent $2.4 trillion, or nearly 18% of our gross domestic product, on health care. Frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals contribute significantly to these rising costs, with estimates as high as 10 to 20% of added health care costs caused by the legal system.
Health Care: What's at Stake in Washington State?
Washington Policy Center is pleased to co-present the Assiciation of Washington Business 2012 Health Care Forum.
Topics will include current status of federal health reform and an in‐depth look at the direction of the Washington State Health Exchange. Speakers include: Jeff Gingold, Gingold Law Firm, LLC.; Hadley Heath, Senior Policy Analyst, Independent Women’s Forum; Neil Trautwein, Vice President and Employee Benefits Policy Counsel, National Retail Federation; Gary Chandler, VP Government Affairs; with additional speakers to be announced.
The Public Deserves the Truth on the Medicare Debate
The future of Medicare is now being debated by the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. A lot of charges and countercharges are being thrown about, but the American public deserves to know the facts in this debate.
Medicare began in 1965 as a taxpayer-funded health insurance program for people age 65 and older. Virtually all medical tests and procedures are covered. Seniors have variable out-of-pocket expenses.
