Wednesday, July 2, 2014
ACA May Be Modified, But Based On Enrollments, It's Here To Stay
Now that an estimated 20.1 million Americans have gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act—and as the number of individuals benefiting from the law grows—its wholesale repeal will grow less likely, Commonwealth Fund President David Blumental, M.D., and Sara R. Collins, Ph.D, write in the New England Journal of Medicine. They add that the law "could still be importantly modified in the future."
The authors also say that ultimately, the future of the coverage expansions will depend on our ability to control health care costs for consumers, employers, and the government. They add that the use of narrow networks—in which health plans require enrollees to use lower-price providers and charge patients who go out of network—is one way of controlling costs, but this solution may leave Americans dissatisfied. Rather, the authors believe “the next great challenge facing the nation” is “developing and spreading innovative approaches to health care delivery that provide greater quality at lower cost.”...