Wall Street Journal: Insurers Group Proposes Universal Health Care

From The Wall Street Journal: The trade group for health insurers on Wednesday offered its own universal-coverage proposal that calls for Congress to slow the growth of health-care costs by 30% in five years, envisioning a total savings of more than $500 billion.

The money could be used to fund coverage of the uninsured and to cut costs for those with insurance, said officials from America's Health Insurance Plans. The group called on Congress to establish a public-private advisory group to recommend action in three areas: reducing wasteful spending, changing how doctors and hospitals are paid, and reducing administrative costs.

In 2006, health spending in the U.S. reached $2.1 trillion, consuming 16% of the nation's gross domestic product, according to economists at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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