Health Costs Can Be Reduced by Millions of Dollars if Federal Agencies Fully Carry Out GAO Recommendations

Over the years, GAO has issued many reports on Federal and Federal/State health programs which contained recommendations to reduce program costs or control cost increases. The report is a study of all of the GAO cost control recommendations made between January 1, 1974, and December 31, 1978. It discusses Federal programs which directly provide health care services through the health delivery systems of the Department of Defense, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), and the Veterans Administration. It also deals with Federal programs which pay for health care services for the aged, the disabled, the poor, and Federal military and civilian personnel and their dependents. In addition, the report discusses GAO cost-saving recommendations related to the grant and contract health programs of the HEW Public Health Service.