Monday, July 23, 2012

Only the First Step in Containing Health Costs

HERE’S a frightening thought: Despite the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, serious work on more health care legislation is still needed.
Don’t get me wrong: the new law is a great step forward. It is expected to expand health insurance coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans without increasing the deficit, and it makes an important start on reining in the rapid growth of health care costs.
But it’s only a start. Even with the law, health care spending is still projected to rise rapidly over coming decades, so more steps to contain costs will have to be taken.
Supporters of President Obama’s plan usually talk about the expansion in coverage and the new consumer protections:  the large decline in the number of uninsured people, more preventive care and the prohibition on denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. These huge accomplishments deserve to be shouted from the rooftops. 

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