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By Jan Jarvis

Medical professionals and an elected official will gather to discuss the state’s soaring healthcare costs during a panel discussion Jan. 28 at UNT Health Science Center.

“Bending the Health Care Cost Curve,” is free and presented by the Texas Tribune in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield. The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Medical Education and Training Building.

Although Texas is infamous for being the state with the most people without health care, it’s also grappling with the ever-exploding cost of medical care, said Evan Smith, CEO and editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune and moderator for the panel discussion.

“Access is certainly a serious problem, but the cost of health care just keeps going up and up,” Smith said. “The question is, is there anything we can do about it – from the practitioner-provider’s end, the patient’s end or the public policy end?”

Panelists who will address the reasons behind rising healthcare costs and possible solutions are:

• Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth;
• Sue Bornstein, executive director of the Texas Medical Home Initiative;
• and Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer and senior executive vice president for Texas Health Resources.

Each year the Texas Tribune hosts more than 50 on-the-record, open-to-the-public live events at which public officials, policy wonks and newsmakers answer for the work they’re doing and how they’re spending your tax dollars.

“Having this type of discussion on UNTHSC campus allows us to highlight our facility, our people and our commitment to providing solutions for Texas’s needs,” said Danny Jensen, UNT System Associate Vice Chancellor and UNTHSC Vice President of Government Affairs.

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