On Friday headlines in some papers were inspired with the new report from the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. The issue they are pointing out is encouraging for everyone who has been opposed to the U.S. health care reform.
Headlines are based on the report released by the chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Richard S. Foster. He said that the new law will increase costs and that chances for reduced spending in next ten years are very weak.
Since the health care reform is still very sensitive issue and opinions are divided, this news really shook the nation. However, immediate response from the White House and experts who are involved in health care law, have given new perspective to this problem, including explanation of the facts which have provoked negative reactions.
The health reform law will increase overall spending in the near future because more people will have insurance and therefore access to medical care. That is the basis of doubts and negative reactions. People who do not have a health insurance now, will be able to use it, which will naturally influence costs for state budgets. Still, the number of Medicare patients might be limited and future costs which are mentioned in the bill may never happen due to political pressure. This law has long-term objectives and now it is impossible to predict obstacles, changes and problems which might occur.
On the other hand, the ones who do support the health care reform stand behind the fact that the Affordable Care Act will have a positive impact, by reducing the uninsured ranks, while increasing national health expenditures by just 1 percent.
White House has declared that what actually this report does is examining features in the new law that will help strengthen our health care system and found that under reform, Medicare will be stronger, with premiums decreasing by nearly $200 per person per year by 2018 and that the life of the Medicare Trust fund is extended by an additional 12 years. However, even the White House admits, in their press release, that in some areas, they disagree with the Actuary when it comes to the new law and the growth of health care costs. They emphasize the fact that health policy experts and economists who have studied the bill have agreed that the new law will help bring down health care costs, and that it utilizes almost all the possible tools to reduce health care costs.
“The analysis also raises questions about whether reform will lead to a shortage of doctors and hospitals for Medicare patients. But contrary to the Actuary’s speculation, there is no evidence that providers would not continue to serve Medicare patients, and the report ignores key provisions that will strengthen our health care workforce”, it is said in the White House press release.
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