This technology is valuable because it will improve health and extend lives. But we need to begin thinking about how to pay for it.

[One important question is who would use the technology.] How do we make sure that we get the technology in the hands of the patient for whom it's most valuable? ... The general story for all of these things is they get really expensive when you start doing them for large swaths of the patient population.

In the rush to contain health-care costs, the response of health plans has been to raise costs for pharmaceuticals.

People enjoying the fruits of improved health care aren't the people paying for it.

The dirty little secret of public health finance is that cigarettes are a very cost-effective killer. Living longer is great for society but a disaster for government programs.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost their lives in the people's movement.