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Opinion: Every state needs a database with all health insurance claims, not just some

States that invest in a database of all health insurance claims reap many benefits.
Understanding health care costs and quality isn't easy. State databases that include insurance claims from all payers can help.

California spends approximately $367 billion a year on health care. That’s more than the gross domestic product of South Africa or Denmark. It’s more than the state spends on six years of K-12 education, or 23 years of transportation. In other words, it’s a lot. Many say it’s too much.

When you don’t really know where the money is going, or what value it is generating, how can you determine where to save money? That’s a key question for California policymakers. To answer it, the state is taking another look at developing an

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