02/21/2008
Mary O. McWilliams' P-I Op-Ed focuses on what's really driving health care costs
Regence BlueShield President Mary O. McWilliams' recent guest editorial in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer focuses on the role that insurance plays in the health care industry and why we should all care about health care costs. She points to the rising costs of care and the burden that those costs are putting on all players in the health care industry. She also references a recent report released by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations and Washington Community Action Network that places part of the blame for the health crisis upon local insurance companies—including Regence.
After providing a basic description of how not-for-profit health care coverage works and outlining Regence's recent financial past, Mary addresses some of the difficult decisions we as a company and as an industry face during this challenging time of rising costs and increasing need.
Her closing point is that we are all in this together, and "...everyone has to come to the table to find a solution. For our part, Regence continues to work individually, regionally and nationally to address the underlying causes, by designing tools to engage members and foster value-based choices, while promoting quality and evidence-based medicine."
We want to thank Mary for voicing the industry's concerns and explaining the solutions Regence is pursuing. As the public discussion about the health care crisis continues, it will become increasingly important for everyone to understand our true roles as payers rather than stereotypes and the assumptions about our motives and practices that have become widespread. Visit the P-I's Web site to read the full article.
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