Health Affairs announces launch of new three-year initiative

(HealthDay)—A council on health care spending and value has been established by the journal Health Affairs.

The council will examine health care spending in the United States and provide a focal point for discussion, analysis, and action on health care spending and values. The council will also make recommendations about ways to take a more deliberate approach to national spending.

The council will be co-chaired by William Frist, M.D., and and Margaret Hamburg, M.D. Frist is the former majority leader of the U.S. Senate and partner in the private investment firm Cressey and Company. Hamburg is the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, assistant secretary for planning and evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Additional council members will be named over the course of the next few months. The council will be supported by the National Pharmaceutical Council and Anthem, Inc., and it will be an integral part of the "Considering Health Spending" initiative of Health Affairs.

"The time is right for an evidence-based discussion about what we get for our health care spending, whether it is worth it, and how we may realistically prioritize our limited resources," Alan Weil, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs since 2014, said in a statement.

Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.