Press Releases
August 1, 2008
Better, Affordable Health Care Goal of Conrad Bill
Senator's Effort Would Help Modernize Medicine
Washington – Citing the skyrocketing costs of health care, Senator Kent Conrad today introduced legislation that would help lower health care costs while improving health care outcomes.
Senator Conrad, who is Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, was joined by Senator Max Baucus of Montana, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in writing the bill. Senator Conrad is also a senior member of the Finance Committee, which oversees Medicare.
“The fact is that our health care system is not as efficient as it should be, and that is driving up costs," Conrad said. "With research, patients and their doctors can make better decisions on treatment -- meaning we could lower costs and improve health care outcomes. Healthier people should mean lower health care costs.”
The Comparative Effectiveness Research Act of 2008 will establish the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute to gather and produce data on what works best when it comes to how diseases, disorders, and other health conditions are treated.
The Congressional Budget Office has signaled that national health care spending could be reduced if physicians and patients had more unbiased data about what medical treatments work best for which patients.
The Institute’s research would be made available to clinicians, patients and the public, so all Americans will have the information they need to avoid unnecessary or ineffective treatments and be well-informed health care consumers.
