Short Takes - 2005-01-12

Almost two-thirds of Americans say that lowering the costs of health care and health insurance should be a top health care priority for the president and Congress in 2005, finds a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Making Medicare more financially sound and increasing the number of Americans with insurance were next on the list. Reducing malpractice jury awards, often cited by the Bush administration as a reason for high medical costs, ranked 11th on a list of 12 items people thought should be health care priorities.