Obama Pitches Bold Plan for Health Records

President-elect wants them all digital, but hurdles remain
By Sam Biddle,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2009 2:15 PM CST
Obama Pitches Bold Plan for Health Records
Barack Obama is proposing a health care modernization plan that he says would create jobs and cut premiums.   (Getty Images)

Barack Obama is hoping an ambitious health care modernization plan will help deliver on two of his promises: increasing jobs and decreasing health care costs, CNNMoney reports. Obama has said he wants all US health records computerized within five years—a huge undertaking.

Only 8% of the country’s hospitals and 17% of its doctors use digital records, and creating one unified system that could be used by all of them is a major challenge. Experts estimate the project could cost up to $100 billion and doubt whether there are enough people in the US with the skills to get it done.
(More Barack Obama stories.)

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