In years of studying Vermont's health care systems, legislative experts have concluded that 80 percent of our health care dollars are being spent on 20 percent of the population - the elderly and the chronically ill. Wellness programs have been identified as preventing illness and its associated costs.

Dr. Elliott Fisher is a professor at Dartmouth Medical School and director of Center for Health Policy Research at The Dartmouth Institute.  Dr. Mark Novotny is chief medical officer for Southwestern Vermont Health Care, executive committee member for the Vermont Blueprint for Health, the state's chronic care initiative.  They join VPR's Jane Lindholm to discuss the reasons for the high cost of health care, and look at what we're getting for the money we put into the system.