Gawande's "The Cost Conundrum" revisited at RGV Health Equity Conference

MISSION, TEXAS - The program notes for a recent healthcare conference in the Rio Grande Valley pointed out that the region’s “expensive and tough-to-access” healthcare system came under the microscope in 2009 thanks to a landmark article in The New Yorker by Dr. Atul Gawande.The article, titled “The Cost Conundrum” became “mandatory reading during the debate surrounding President Obama’s Affordable Care Act in 2010,” the program stated.Gawande’s article was referenced a number of times by the conference’s keynote speaker, Aneesh Chopra, president of Care Journey and former U.S. chief technology officer.The conference was titled Accelerator 2023, RGV Health Equity. It was hosted jointly by Western Governors University and AltaCair. It was held at Mission Event Center. In their program notes, WGU/AltaCair explained why they hosted the conference.“The RGV region has 24.7 percent of familiars living below the poverty level, nearly triple the percentage for the United States, according to the RGV Health Connect Organization. The population struggle with diabetes, obesity, and cervical cancer among other health issues. “The Rio Grande Regional Hospital states that an estimated 76,000 people in the region have diabetes. The COVID-19 pandemic further augmented the challenges of RGV with economic depressions and heightened inequities. The four RGV counties – Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron counties – are among the poorest counties in the nation and access to healthcare is unaffordable for many residents.”According to the US Census Bureau, 9.8 percent of people under the age of 65 do not have health insurance nationwide. But, the percentages for the four counties in the Valley are much higher:Hidalgo County: 33.1 percentCameron County: 29.9 percentStarr County: 28.9 percentWillacy County: 24.1 percent.Here is an audio recording of everything Aneesh Chopra said at the Accelerator 2023, RGV Health Equity Conference.Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.