Interview: Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-789359661062727522.post-53354511745627080502007-10-15T17:47:00.000-04:002007-10-16T16:43:50.824-04:00Interview: Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP"For the first time in decades we appear to be moving toward action." <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.webmd.com/election-2008-expert-view/uploaded_images/novelli-740075.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 182px;" src="http://blogs.webmd.com/election-2008-expert-view/uploaded_images/novelli-739554.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Bill Novelli is the CEO of AARP, a membership organization of more than 38 million people age 50 and older. Prior to joining AARP, Mr. Novelli was President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and before that he was the executive vice president of CARE, the world's largest private relief and development organization. Novelli also co-founded one of the world's largest public relations firms, Porter Novelli. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from Penn's Annenberg School for Communication. His book, 50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America, was published in 2006. Answers from Novelli on the state of the nation's health care and how the election might affect it were provided to WebMD's Washington correspondent, <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.webmd.com/Todd-Zwillich">Todd Zwillich</a><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.webmd.com/todd-zwillich">.</a> How big an issue is health care for the nation now? Domestically, health care is the biggest issue for the nation right now. Too many Americans -- 47 million -- don't have health insurance. That number is climbing, not falling. As health care costs rise, we're spending more on health care than any other industrialized nation, but we are not getting our money's worth, and throwing more money at the problem is not the solution. Even for those who have health insurance, costs are skyrocketing: people in Medicare have seen their premiums double since the beginning of the decade. Americans are feeling the pain, both physically and financially. In poll after poll, they name health care as a top domestic issue. We're seeing the presidential candidates, Congress, statehouses and even the White House acknowledge the magnitude of the problem. States like Massachusetts and Vermont are implementing systems that could universally cover their residents. California and others are burning the midnight oil to do the same. A lot of the health care debate is rhetoric, but for the first time in decades we appear to be moving toward action. Is the health care system really broken? Look at the facts: 47 million Americans are uninsured. Many employers can't afford to offer coverage to their workers and some that do are beginning to cut back on benefits. People who have insurance are struggling. Many don't have as much coverage as they really need. Others are afraid to leave their jobs, start a business, or retire early because they know they won't be able to afford insurance outside of their current employer. Even Medicare covers only about half of an older person's medical care. We're spending 16% of our economic output on health care, but we have health outcomes below much of the industrialized world. The costs of prescription drugs continue to rise at twice the rate of inflation. The government has made some strides -- we now have <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.webmd.com/election2008/issues101-3#part_d">prescription drug coverage in Medicare.</a> But more often than not, whenever the government tries to make improvements -- even to popular programs like the <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.webmd.com/election2008/issues101-3#schip">State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)</a> -- they come to a standstill. A few states are making strides toward significant progress, but we haven't fixed the problems, yet. How -- or should -- we go about lowering the number of uninsured? We can start with the children. The State Children's Health Insurance Program passed overwhelmingly in Congress but was immediately <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://children.webmd.com/news/20071003/bush-vetoes-kids-health-insurance-bill">vetoed by the White House</a>. The strengthened SCHIP would have ensured that 10 million children had health coverage. Congress and the White House need to come together now to pass a strengthened SCHIP and cover more of these kids. It's the smart, affordable and responsible thing to do. But the biggest obstacle is the cost of health care. We need to work together -- business, individuals and government -- to stop the rising price of health care in this country. Only by slowing the growth in health care costs can we begin to make health care affordable for more Americans. What is the best way to begin to lower health care costs? There are many ways. One is to bring down costs by implementing health information technology in our system. Health IT has startup costs, but it could be a huge cost-saver in the long term. And Health IT won't only save money; it will improve the quality of health care. Greater emphasis on healthy lifestyles and prevention will also play a critical role in lowering health care costs. By preventing illness, we can prevent the costs of treatment. Americans need to get active and take important steps to reduce their own health care costs. Regular physicals, cancer screening and even flu shots are easy and relatively inexpensive ways to prevent illness or find problems before they become serious. What should be done to cut prescription drug costs? This is a critical question because lowering drug costs will create a ripple effect, lowering health care costs. We can approach prescription drugs from two angles -- policy and consumers. Individuals can take responsibility for their own drug costs by using their medications wisely. Always ask your doctor about the availability of generics; these drugs are identical to the brand names, but they cost far less. Comparison shopping and talking to your doctors and pharmacist about ways to lower your costs can make an enormous difference. Policymakers have also put three major proposals on the table in recent years, and we will continue to work to see them enacted into law. The first is prescription <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.webmd.com/election2008/issues101#drug_import">drug importation</a>. By allowing Americans to import safe and legal prescription drugs from Canada and other nations, we can significantly lower drug prices. We also need to allow the Food and Drug Administration to approve generic versions of biologic drugs. These lifesaving therapies are among the most expensive drugs available on the market. They are used to treat cancer, anemia, arthritis and other debilitating illnesses. But, unlike traditional prescription drugs, biologic drugs have no lower-cost generic versions. Another way to lower costs is to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. By giving Medicare the ability to negotiate with the drug manufacturers, we could lower the tremendous cost of prescriptions within Medicare. With older Americans taking an average of four prescriptions daily, secretarial negotiation will have a significant impact on health care costs in the U.S. How important is prevention to any health care policy we pursue? Prevention is critical -- it's the way people can take responsibility for their own health. Everyone, but particularly people 50-plus, need to get regular preventive care including physicals and other health screenings. We can also take preventive measures at home by staying active and practicing a healthy lifestyle. If we encourage prevention, we'll put less strain on the health care system. A regular physical can help catch a problem that might otherwise land a person in the emergency room where care is the most expensive. Individuals have a responsibility to prevent illness, but employers, insurers and the government need to work together to promote and reward people's efforts to get and remain healthy. In 2000, nearly half of all deaths in the U.S. were caused by bad habits such as tobacco use, poor diet and a lack of physical activity. Healthy habits take pressure off the health care system, save money and help people live better, longer lives.Sean_webmdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08822854321530764848noreply@blogger.com