Moderates Offer Cost-cutting Health Bill Amendment

As the Senate floor debate on health care reform legislation continued into its fifth day, three moderate senators came together to offer an amendment they said would bolster cost controls in the bill. Maine Republican Susan Collins, Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman and Pennsylvania Democrat Arlen Specter offered what they called a “tripartisan” amendment, with a battery of cost-saving provisions including rewarding high quality care and bundling payments for medical procedures. Last spring, the NewsHour reported on a hospital system in central Pennsylvania that is already implementing some of these ideas, including a 90-day “warranty” on certain procedures. You can also watch an online-only extended interview with a Geisinger Health System executive about the system’s cost-saving and quality initiatives.