Talk is cheap, reform is happening now.(Editorial)

There's been lots of talk about health care reform lately, mostly because conversations have included price tags that include the word "trillions."

"The U.S. spends over $2.4 trillion on health care (almost 17 percent of GDP), and the government accounts for almost one-half of all health care spending," says Nina Owcharenko, deputy director of the Center for Health Policy Studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Health care spending affects employers and employees across the country with more than half of Americans with health insurance coverage experiencing cost increases this past year.

Employers saw the cost of providing coverage to their workers rise 5 percent in 2008. The costs went up even more for smaller employers. But those that contribute more than 90 percent of an insurance premium have an 88 percent adoption rate among employees. However, employers that pay only 63 percent or less of the premium see an adoption rate of only 68 percent. And as many as 40 percent of workers say they might decide to forgo insurance if their employer dropped coverage but increased their salary.

While the pundits debate over what should be done and how fast to execute it, health care reform in Utah is moving forward. Thanks in part to a boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, ChartLogic, a local company, plans to use some of the $19 billion allocated to the medical information technology industry to change how physicians document medical exams.

Using handheld devices that instantaneously captures and digitizes a doctor's notes in the examination room, health care providers can spend more time with their patients and provide tailored care more effectively.

Read more about this emerging technology in Heather Stewart's story in this month's edition.

Also, health care costs are an exasperated issue for executives loosing their jobs in the current recession. Utah Business writer Spencer Sutherland shows there are options, in addition to federal assistance, that executives and others can use to avoid going without health coverage.

While the daily news is saturated with heavy issues, Utah Business magazine is proud to provide an in-depth look at what they mean to Utah's future. In doing so, we sometimes reveal the positive and innovative solutions that sustain Utah's hearty entrepreneurial spirit.

It is with pleasure that I join the Utah Business team in this effort and look forward to sharing many a good read with you.

From the Executive Editor

David Kennard

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