This report examines policy options that could slow growth in health spending, improve health outcomes, and provide additional revenues to finance comprehensive reform. It also illustrates how widely estimates of policy options can vary based on underlying assumptions.
From the report:
Consistent with the president’s belief that health reform should be financially sustainable, he included a $634 billion reserve fund to advance reform over the next decade, 2010–19. The budget proposal builds on the $150 billion investment included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, or economic stimulus package) enacted in February 2009. In a departure from the past, the Administration has left the details of the health reform legislation to Congress, looking largely to the committees of jurisdiction to develop legislation consistent with its goals. The Administration has set an ambitious timeline—calling for action on legislation during its first year.
This report examines several policy options that could improve the value of the nation’s investment in the health care delivery system and help finance federal support of coverage expansions. To illustrate the importance of the structure and details of the policy options, it presents a range of estimates from three different sources: 1) estimates prepared for The Commonwealth Fund by the Lewin Group and published in a recent report, The Path to a High Performance Health U.S. Health System (the Path report); 2) estimates by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the president’s budget proposal, the economic stimulus bill, and additional savings proposed in June 2009; and 3) estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The discussion and comparisons focus on policy options that were examined by the three sources. All estimates consider the potential impact over 10 years, 2010–19.
The estimates of the potential impacts different policies would have indicate that there is potential for significant gains. As shown in this report, the available estimates differ primarily in terms of the scope of the policies and particular elements of the proposals. As the health care reform debate unfolds, it will be important to keep in mind that there are various options for financing the necessary federal investment and stimulating change throughout the care system. The challenge will be building consensus to move forward and implement policies that have the potential to simultaneously address health care access, quality, and costs.
The Commonwealth Fund. (2009). Finding resources for health reform and bending the health care cost curve. Nuzum, Rachel, M.P.H., Mika, Stephanie, Schoen, Cathy, M.S. & Davis, Karen, Ph.D.
Full report: http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2009/Jun/Finding-Resources-for-Health-Reform.aspx
