Although it’s hard to tell from the political campaigns, federal health care reform – officially the March 2010 Affordable Care Act – has slowly begun to change U.S. health care procedures, although the full effects won’t be felt for several years. Central Health (formerly the Travis County Health Care District) is among several local industry organizations spreading information about the changes; at a press briefing this week, Central Health Director of Government Affairs Stacy Wilson summarized major changes anticipated under the new law. Some highlights:
• The act attempts to move from a “procedure-based” care and payment system to one focused on health “outcomes” through emphasizing efficiency, effectiveness, cooperation, and collaboration between the patient and caregivers.
• Coverage will be expanded to include 32 million previously uninsured Americans, at an initial cost of $1 trillion and Congressional Budget Office savings estimates (over 10 years) of $124 billion.
• The new system will be largely private-insurance-based, but insurers must provide coverage to all, with federal subsidies for those who cannot afford to buy insurance.
• “State exchanges” will provide affordable insurance; feds will step in if state declines to participate.
• Many of the changes will not take effect until 2014; current changes include coverage of people with pre-existing conditions and of children up to age 26.
Many of the details of the new system remain to be worked out, and political changes could affect the outcome – total repeal is unlikely, but a conservative Congress could move to “starve the law” by refusing to fund its programs. For more info on the new law, visit www.healthcare.gov, and for information on its specific effects in Texas – potentially a great beneficiary of the changes, since so many Texans are currently uninsured – see the research by the Center for Public Policy Priorities at www.cppp.org. Central Health is at www.traviscountyhd.org.
This article appears in October 22 • 2010.
