Leadership

The first step to creating a better health care system is being honest with ourselves about the scope of the problem we face. This means recognizing that the current system isn’t sustainable and that current reform measures don’t do enough to rein in costs. Once we accept that fact, we can begin to take responsibility for our roles in the crisis and resolve to make the tough decisions that will curb spending and shore up our system. I firmly believe we can and will solve this problem and make North Carolina a national model.

There’s an obvious problem here. And insurers are part of it. We’re too bureaucratic and we sometimes make things too hard for our customers. So at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, we’re changing. We’re cutting our own administrative costs by $200 million. We’re also developing ways to collaborate with doctors, hospitals and employers to address rising costs and improve health care quality.

But that’s just a start, not a solution. To meet the challenge head-on, all of us — from insurers to individuals, hospitals to health care professionals — have to make tough decisions and take responsibility