Last week, President Obama identified his criteria for health care reform:

• Provide universal coverage without increasing the federal deficit
• Control health care costs
• Stop denial of coverage due to pre-existing illness or new illness
• Eliminate lifetime caps on coverage
• Cap out-of-pocket expenses
• Provide free preventive care

What he didn’t discuss in detail is how costs will be contained. The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution recently discussed reforms to contain costs (http://tinyurl.com/summitscience30). The center recommends several strategies for cost containment. Among the recommendations are:

• Use evidence-based medicine to improve effectiveness of treatment and eliminate unnecessary treatment
• Allocate funding for research on effectiveness to areas likely to reduce the disease burden and improve patient care
• Encourage payment for performance and discourage fee-for-service payment; measure performance based on outcomes and patient experience
• Protect providers from liability when they follow best practices
• Encourage the use of allied health professionals such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants
• Promote teaching of care practices that improve quality and coordination of care
• Encourage patient-centered care through “medical homes”

Obama and Congress need to assure the nation that it is not only morally imperative to provide universal health care, but possible without breaking the bank. Visit http://tinyurl.com/summitscience30 for more details on the report.