Pretend You Have Millions to Fix Health Care: What Would You Do? A Doctor Gives His Answer

Dr. Betancourt, president of the influential The Commonwealth Fund, is committed to “Affordable, quality health care. For everyone.” Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter interviewed him at Aspen Ideas: Health at the Aspen Institute.

Here are some of the Fund’s top concerns right now:

• Private equity: The Commonwealth Fund is examining how private equity engages in healthcare delivery and what impact it’s having on cost, quality and safety. Dr. Betancourt explains that its new strategic plan will focus on commercial drivers and the tension between patients and profits.
• Primary care: There’s a growing crisis, exacerbated by fewer primary care medical students and a culture that doesn’t appreciate their contributions.
• Outcomes: The Fund’s Scorecard on State Health System Performance found the number of children who have received all doses of the seven recommended early childhood vaccines is below 75% in most states.

Dr. Betancourt, the first Latino to lead the Fund, is also proud of health equity as he defines it:

“My lived experience informs a lot of my ideas around how our foundation can go forward…it’s about respect and making sure we’re not leaving anyone behind, that we and I do the best for everyone. Those are the values I bring personally. Those are the values I bring as a clinician. And those are the values that are very well aligned with the Commonwealth Fund,” he says.

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