Health care has found itself in the midst of a perfect storm swirling with the forces of high costs, an aging population, a rising incidence of obesity, and a bad economy.

The question is: What's next?

Susquehanna Health President and CEO Steven P. Johnson, on Thursday night addressed that question during a nearly hour-long speech to Lycoming College students at the school's Heim Auditorium.

Johnson made it clear that if the nation is to provide health care in a cost-effective manner in coming years, it will need to find a better way to do so.

As the heaviest users of health care, the nation's rising numbers of elderly will make big demands on the entire medical system.

Quality of care faces further pressures with the ongoing nationwide nursing shortage and expected shortage of available physicians.

"There is a huge demand for health care workers," Johnson said.

He noted that the U.S. spends 17 percent of its Gross Domestic Product, or about $2.2 trillion annually on health care - more than any other nation.

Unfortunately, he added, the nation's population ranks 30th worldwide in life expectancy, records between 44,000 and 98,000 otherwise preventable deaths in hospitals each year and has some 46 million people without health insurance.

Johnson noted that many of those uninsured could afford coverage if they so chose. However, a means of whether to require coverage for everyone is one of the questions to be settled.

Part of the equation in improving health care must lie with consumers who take responsibility for their health, he said.

Yet another problem looming on the horizon is the expected deficit in the Medicare Trust Fund by 2016.

Johnson referred to the bureaucratic billing system that dominates health care. Unlike other industries, which provide single billings to consumers, hospitals have adopted multi-faceted plans in which patients face separate costs for doctors, medications, hospital lodgings, and other services.

President Barack Obama, he noted, seeks to bring electronic medical records to all health systems, a move that would make for more efficient all-around care, including improved patient safety.

He noted that Susquehanna Health is among just 14 percent of health systems nationwide that is "wired" in that way.

He said the health system will need to do its part, in part by staying true to its mission of providing quality care, controlling costs and hiring high-quality personnel.

The new Commonwealth College, with its branch campus in Williamsport, can serve as a base for bringing aboard physicians needed for the local area, he said.