JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The CEO of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville talked one on one with Action News about the proposed health care reform plan.
"We can't continue as we are," said Dr. William Rupp. He's the CEO of the Mayo Clinic in Florida. He's been watching the news closely over the last few months, trying to figure out how the Mayo Clinic will be affected by Obama's proposed health care plan. "I think there's still a lot of confusion about what actually is going to come out," said Dr. Rupp.
Dr. Rupp likes the idea of health care for everyone. He says right now, there's too much wiggle room for doctors. He gave us this example: If you go to the hospital in Miami for tests, it may cost you $16,000. In the same situation here, he says it'd be $8,000.
"There is absolutely no evidence that the patients in Miami are getting better care than the patients in Jacksonville," said Dr. Rupp. He said the problem is, "There's no control on how often procedures are done or how many times and health care keeps rising."
Dr. Rupp talked with local representatives and said some are on the same page as him, others are just thinking about politics. "Hopefully we can get to one more integrated system so that hospitals, doctors, and nursing homes are all working together," said Dr. Rupp.
Click on the related links for more information on the Mayo Clinic reform policy and information on Medicare costs in various cities throughout the country.
