Health Care Reform is a Deficit Reducer

The health care bill--which includes an opt-out public option--will require $849 billion over 10 years in new spending, to be paid for with cuts to Medicare, while reducing the deficit by $127 billion.
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He also commented on the recent guidelines released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that say women should wait until age 50 to start regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer, instead of the age of 40.

Reid said it is "outrageous" and women "should not have to wait until they are 50 years old" to get the screenings.

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The real story is that transparent political marketplaces can yield desired market results. While this bill is not perfect it is a good start towards creating a real transparent insurance marketplace where apples are apples across and between health insurance plans.

The republicans at last count have offered 260 amendments which were accepted by the majority in the senate.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for the "real bipartisanship" argument as when push comes to shove the answer for reform always seems to be do nothing on the part of the loyal opposition. (Without a link I can't evaluate the Senate GOP claim...:> although I wold question any partisan derived data. CBO is nonpartisan....)

(The evidence from other countries is that a commitment to universal coverage yields better care at a lower price EVERY TIME. )

The reality is that the countries who follow the Bismarck Model deliver universal coverage at lower cost with mandatory participation by employers and employees.....

Some of the reforms will start instantly as far as I can tell...(No preexisting condition exclusion, The ability for college students to stay on their parents plan until age 25 (27?) Tailoring reimbursements towards evidence based practice...)

Could the bill be better? Of course it can. My point was that getting a bill passed gets us started.

For all the noise made about the recent mammogram recommendation change did anyone notice Sen Reids comment. He came out and said in so many words that reimbursements for the procedure should not change from current practice under reform. (Effectiveness research may find that genetic testing for BRCA and HEr would be a better strategy for identifying women at risk of developing breast cancer between age 40-50 which cold then tailor mammogram practices...)

The Commonwealth Fund Analysis

One of the nicer things about the bill is its reduction of Medicare Advantage subsidies to private insurance. Medicare advantage is more expensive and yields no better results than traditional FFS Medicare.....

The evidence shows:



Textual Discussion