Hospitals routinely pad their bills. For that matter, so do other health care providers. If you have health insurance and you've been hospitalized or had an outpatient procedure recently, you've probably been astounded at the difference between what the health care provider charged versus what the insurance company or Medicare paid them.

Hospitals and providers claim that bill padding is their defense against the aggressive fee cutting efforts of insurers and government programs. But the end result is that the only patients who are stuck with those outrageously inflated bills are the uninsured (without giant insurance companies to negotiate lower rates for them). Because few actually pay their bills, many escaping through bankruptcy, the hospital further increases its fees.

Wal-Mart continues to improve health insurance coverage for employees. The company has enrolled an additional 100,000 workers in health plans. For the last few years, Wal-Mart has been heavily criticized for not offering affordable health insurance to employees. While they still provide health insurance to less than half of their employees, they have been improving rapidly.

During 2008, Wal-Mart is offering employees a selection of health plans as well as 2,400 generic medications for $4. Enrolled employees can call a medical hotline staffed by nurses from the Mayo Clinic 24 hours a day. Employees can participate in a wellness program that promotes exercise and lifestyle changes like smoking cessation.

At least some of this improvement in Wal-Mart employee benefits can be credited to the power public opinion which turned negative on Wal-Mart a couple of years ago when their stinginess to workers became public.

Using comparative effectiveness research, we could reduce health care costs in the US by 30%. There is a significant opportunity to remove costs from the system without harming health outcomes by eliminating medical treatments and tests that are of questionable value. Using comparative effectiveness research is the key.

The aging population is not to blame for the rise in health care costs. Congress and health care policymakers need to promote cost effectiveness and evidence-based medicine.

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Memory screenings are cheap and effective Physicians need to use them more. It is estimated, that physicians miss at least half of the cases of mild and moderate dementia, only recognizing it when the brain disorder is at least moderately advanced. Early diagnosis benefits, include treatments and lifestyle choices, such as proper nutrition and mental stimulation

According to a survey of participants in the AFA 2006 National Memory Screening Day, 73% had memory concerns, but fewer than 10% had discussed those conserns with their physician. Clearly, Americans need to consider their brain health as they age.

Over 2,000 sites in 46 states offer confidential memory screenings, including all of Kmart's 1,100 pharmacies nationwide. The face-to-face screening consists of a series of questions and tasks that take about 5 minutes to administer. If you score low or are concerned, you are encouraged to pursue follow-up evaluations. Last year, about 10% of those screened were referred to a health care professional for further evaluation.

American health care is often compared unfavorably to health care in Canada, France, Great Britain, and others, based on shorter life expectancy and higher infant motrality rates in the US. Critics also point to 47 million uninsured Americans and the relatively high cost of health care in the US.

Professor N. Gregory Mankiw, an economist at Harvard University, currently an adviser to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, spoke out recently about "true but misleading statements about US health care that politicians and pundits love to use to frighten the public."

The difference in life expectancy between the US and Canada has more to do with higher rates of obesity and more teenage pregnancies in the US resulting in low birthweight babies. While contributing to big differences in comparative health outcomes between the two countries, they have little to do with the American system of health care.

The often quoted statistic of 47 million uninsured Americans exaggerates the magnitude of the problem as well. The Census Bureau number includes about 10 million non American citizens, many undocumented, who would probably not be covered if the US had national health insurance. The actual uninsured number far less than 47 million and accounts only a few percent of the population, which is why the U.S. should be wary of sweeping reforms of our health system.

The final statement is that Americans spend a greater share of their income on health care -from about 5% of a person's income in 1950 to 16% now. The increase is not due to waste, fraud and abuse, but advances in medical technology and prescription drug cost increases. Americans should not to be fooled by statistics into thinking that the problems we face are worse than they really are.

United Auto Workers- UAW - reached a tentative agreement with Ford Motor Company for a four-year contract similar to General Motors and Chrysler. Central to the deal is the creation of a voluntary employees' beneficiary association - VEBA. Ford will transfer billions of dollars in retiree health care liabilities to a trust controlled by the UAW. The VEBA is expected to become operational in 2010. Until then, Ford will continue to fund its retiree health care.

The UAW will also get a 16% to 17% stake in Ford.