Notable & Quotable

“Health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative, it is a fiscal imperative. If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy, then we must address the crushing cost of health care this year, in this administration. This time, there is no debate about whether all Americans should have quality, affordable health care — the only question is, how?”

— President Barack Obama at the White House Forum on Health Reform March 5, speaking to roughly 120 experts about how the nation’s current costly and inefficient health care system is dragging down the ailing U.S. economy.

2020
By this year, there will be a projected nationwide physician shortage of between 51,000 and 228,000.
Source: American Medical Association

$218
billion The amount diabetes cost the U.S. in 2007 in direct medical care and indirect costs, such as lost productivity.
Source: The Associated Press/Lewin Group

30%
Patients who have a clear understanding of their after-hospital care instructions, including how to take their medicines and when to make follow-up appointments, are 30 percent less likely to be readmitted or visit the emergency department than patients who don’t.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) study

4%
The average increase in respiratory-related hospitalizations for every degree increased over a temperature threshold. As the mercury rises, so does the number of respiratory admissions, although the under- lying mechanisms are poorly understood. The elderly are most likely to be affected.
Source: Assessment and Prevention of Acute Health Effects of Weather Conditions in Europe