GE Healthcare’s Michael Barber, who heads the company’s program to improve access to health care and reduce health care costs globally by 15 percent within five years, tells “UpFront with Mike Gousha” the goal is “very doable.”
Barber said the $6 billion program will invest about $3 billion to advance 100 innovations targeted at reducing costs, improving quality and improving access, $2 billion in advancing and improving access to information technology for health care providers and $1 billion in developing partnerships.
“With these targeted investments, focused around these areas, it is something that is very doable,” Barber said.
— Also on the program, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton says she’s hopeful film tax credits in the budget will survive Gov. Jim Doyle’s veto pen.
Doyle proposed scrapping the credits and replacing them with a grant program capped at $500,000. The Legislature revived the credits, but added a $1.5 million annual cap and requirements aimed at creating Wisconsin jobs. The cap would be lifted in two years.
Doyle is slated to sign the budget at 11 a.m. at the Executive Residence.
