Letter to the Hon. Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services - Brown, Cassidy to Price: Work With Us to Keep Americans Healthy

Letter

Dear Secretary Price:

We write to express our interest in working with you to convene a diverse commission of national health care experts to develop a strategy for improving and advancing our nation's health care delivery system so that it can effectively meet the needs of all Americans.

In many ways, the United States is the envy of the world when it comes to health care. We are home to the world's best hospitals, clinicians, and innovators. We lead the world in prioritizing medical research, and we are pioneers in the development of therapies and technologies -- the result is that we have both a system of health care education that is among the best in the world and the globe's preeminent public health watchdog -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, in other ways, our country continues to lag behind others when it comes to health care efficiency and effectiveness. In 2016, we spent more than 18 percent of our national gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, yet we spent more to treat disease than prevent it in the first place. Our system of care delivery is complicated and remains siloed. We struggle to address health disparities that divide us by race, socioeconomic status, and geography, and our public health outcomes are stagnant.

Despite efforts from policy makers, clinicians, and communities to improve the nation's health and wellbeing within the constraints of our current system, it is time to recognize the need for a new approach to health care delivery in the United States. To that end, we urge you to work with us to convene a diverse group of health care experts, including community health partners, providers, patients, payers, and clinicians that will:

evaluate our current health care delivery system;
assess the improvements our nation must make to reduce disparities and deliver the highest quality, most affordable care to all Americans;
encourage innovation in clinical and community approaches;
improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities; and
build a thoughtful framework for future health care reforms.
We look forward to working with you to identify innovative thought leaders from around the country to join these discussions and would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this initiative further.

Sincerely,

United States Senator Sherrod Brown

United States Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D.

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