One Week Later: Reflections on the HC Summit

There obviously has been a great deal written about the 7.5 hr. HC summit held last Thursday. Obama to no one's surprise displayed an incredible knowledge of the issues. But I was surprised by a few things. First, many Republicans repeatedly mentioned how poll after poll showed people were against HC reform. While this is true, why didn't the President or other Dems mention that a Kaiser poll showed that HC reform rose in popularity when people were informed about its specific provisions (e.g., out-lawing pre-existing conditions exclusions)?

And while all agreed that the cost of care needed to be controlled and that 30% of prescribed care in this country was unnecessary, no one talked specifically about what needed to be done. As I have mentioned in previous posts, moving away from a fee-for-service reimbursement system would be the Number 1 way to reduce costs. The Dems legislation calls for funding of pilot accountable care organizations under Medicare or ACOs. ACOs would likely be a consortium of providers who agree to care for a minimum of 5,000 patients for a pre-determined fee. Many details need to be worked out but I think ACOs are likely our best chance for cost of care control. More to come about them in future posts.