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Showing Original Post only (View all)"Obamacare’s Secret Success" by Paul Krugman at the NYTimes [View all]
Obamacares Secret Successby Paul Krugman at the NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/29/opinion/krugman-obamacares-secret-success.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1&
"SNIP...................................
So what aspects of Obamacare might be causing health costs to slow? One clear answer is the acts reduction in Medicare overpayments mainly a reduction in the subsidies to private insurers offering Medicare Advantage Plans, but also cuts in some provider payments. A less certain but likely source of savings involves changes in the way Medicare pays for services. The program now penalizes hospitals if many of their patients end up being readmitted soon after being released an indicator of poor care and readmission rates have, in fact, fallen substantially. Medicare is also encouraging a shift from fee-for-service, in which doctors and hospitals get paid by the procedure, to accountable care, in which health organizations get rewarded for overall success in improving care while controlling costs.
Furthermore, theres evidence that Medicare savings spill over to the rest of the health care system that when Medicare manages to slow cost growth, private insurance gets cheaper, too.
And the biggest savings may be yet to come. The Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel with the power to impose cost-saving measures (subject to Congressional overrides) if Medicare spending grows above target, hasnt yet been established, in part because of the near-certainty that any appointments to the board would be filibustered by Republicans yelling about death panels. Now that the filibuster has been reformed, the board can come into being.
The news on health costs is, in short, remarkably good. You wont hear much about this good news until and unless the Obamacare website gets fixed. But under the surface, health reform is starting to look like a bigger success than even its most ardent advocates expected.
...................................SNIP"
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Great photo and post. BTW, the snow begins tomorrow and will stick all week and snow again. Argh!
freshwest
Dec 2013
#27
I'm already cancelling appointments but still have plenty to feast upon here. And all that I need.
freshwest
Dec 2013
#29
The Board are executive appointments - filibuster reform changed the process for executive appts
alcibiades_mystery
Nov 2013
#17
The rightwing crazies, with the help of the M$M, have been successful at....
Tarheel_Dem
Dec 2013
#31