Brailer D J, Van Horn R L
Wharton School of Business.
Harv Bus Rev. 1993 Mar-Apr;71(2):125-32.
Business leaders continue to blame the skyrocketing cost of health care for jeopardizing the global competitiveness of U.S. industries, and they continue to turn to Washington for the solution. Yet after a study of 16 countries, Wharton researchers David Brailer and R. Lawrence Van Horn have discovered that health care costs do not directly hinder U.S. competitiveness. Their conclusion: there is indeed a health care crisis in the United States as well as a competitiveness crisis. But the two are unrelated, and confusing them makes it difficult to solve either one. The real problem, according to the authors, is the hands-off approach that employers typically adopt when it comes to health care. No matter how Washington responds to the health care crisis, employers must explore their own role in ensuring the health of their work force. And they must realize that their role can be a strategic one. Instead of containing costs by fine-tuning benefits packages, companies can control costs and improve health care delivery by treating health care like any other crucial component of production. Brailer and Van Horn propose three strategies for managing health care delivery: First, companies must intervene in the supply side of the health care market. This may mean creating a clinic alone or with other companies, or joining with other companies to procure health care. Second, companies need to translate corporate health benefits into the most cost-effective set of services at the local level. Finally, companies must encourage and educate employees to participate in decisions regarding health care delivery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
企业领导者继续指责医疗保健成本的飙升危及美国产业的全球竞争力，他们继续向华盛顿寻求解决方案。然而，在对16个国家进行研究后，沃顿商学院的研究人员大卫·布雷勒和R·劳伦斯·范霍恩发现，医疗保健成本并不会直接阻碍美国的竞争力。他们的结论是：美国确实存在医疗保健危机和竞争力危机。但这两者并无关联，将它们混为一谈使得任何一个问题都难以解决。作者认为，真正的问题在于雇主在医疗保健方面通常采取的不干预态度。无论华盛顿如何应对医疗保健危机，雇主都必须探索自身在确保员工健康方面的作用。而且他们必须认识到自己的作用可以具有战略意义。企业不应通过微调福利套餐来控制成本，而可以像对待生产的任何其他关键组成部分一样对待医疗保健，从而控制成本并改善医疗服务的提供。布雷勒和范霍恩提出了三种管理医疗服务提供的策略：第一，企业必须干预医疗保健市场的供应端。这可能意味着独自或与其他公司创建一家诊所，或者与其他公司联合采购医疗保健服务。第二，企业需要在地方层面将企业健康福利转化为最具成本效益的一系列服务。最后，企业必须鼓励并教育员工参与有关医疗服务提供的决策。（摘要截选至250词）
