Three major U.S. automakers have joined the growing list of companies that have pledged to promote President Bush's plan for value-driven healthcare, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday.
What started out in November as an open invitation from the Department of Health and Human Services for private companies to pledge their support to this program has now grown to more than 175 companies and is joined by General Motors, Chrysler Group, and Ford Motor company, an HHS statement said. Thirty other Michigan employers also pledged support along with the automakers on Jan. 29, representing a total of 2 million insured Americans, HHS said.
The value-driven healthcare plan was first initiated last August by Executive Order to federal healthcare providers. For the initiative to work, care outcome and pricing information must be gathered and transmitted via healthcare IT systems. Private companies that voluntarily sign to commit to the plan are committing to what are called the four cornerstones of the president's value-driven healthcare plan–also known as the transparency plan–and include:
• Adopting healthcare IT standards
• Reporting quality of care
• Providing costs of health services in advance to patients
• Providing incentives for quality care at competitive prices
HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, who attended the formal signing of the automakers in Detroit, said he is proud that GM, Ford, Chrysler and other leading Michigan employers are choosing to support the Bush plan.
"It has not been possible for patients to learn in advance about the quality of care they can expect to receive from a provider, or the cost of the services they will incur," Leavitt said. "By making this information available, employers can help their employees get better care and better value in health care."
Marcey Evans, spokesperson for Ford Motor company, said Ford's employer-based health insurance covered 570,000 employees, their dependents and surviving spouses in 2006.
According to Evans, Ford is "very committed" to providing quality healthcare to its employees and retirees, but faces increasing costs each year. "Initiatives like this are important to Ford because they help us with both improving quality and keeping costs down," Evans said.
Ford is also a participant in the Southeast Michigan e-Prescribing Initiative to help doctors fill prescriptions electronically, Evans said.
At a Jan. 17 luncheon in Washington, DC, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for Prevention, Leavitt said that among the 175 companies that have pledged to the program are some of the largest firms in the country, representing purchasers of healthcare for 72 million Americans.