Vernon Ehlers: “I take the floor today to highlight two studies that were completed by the Center for Health Affairs and the Michigan…”

“I take the floor today to highlight two studies that were completed by the Center for Health Affairs and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association regarding the excellent health care that is delivered in my district and throughout west Michigan. The studies show that west Michigan hospitals have lower costs while also delivering health care that is consistently equal to or better than the expected rates for lengths of stay and mortality. These factors combined help to illustrate the fact that health care in west Michigan is both low in cost and high in quality, and that we can serve as a model for national efforts to reform our health care system. Over the past 10 years, we have seen national consumer health care prices increasing significantly. Last year's increase in consumer health care prices of 4.5 percent was the lowest in 22 years, but this increase is still nearly two times the increase in overall consumer prices. So you can understand why a report illustrating the low cost of hospital care in west Michigan is an important event.”