摘要

Health reform can be assessed from the perspective of four groups that collectively include most Americans. For those who are now in Medicaid or who are uninsured, reform will be a major gain. For those who obtain health insurance in the individual and small-group markets, reform should bring improvements. For those who have health insurance from midsize- and large-group insurers, reform will bring little change. Finally, for Medicare beneficiaries, reform promises to bring positive change. However, financing future health spending overall, and Medicare spending in particular, poses a formidable challenge. Although not a panacea, all-payer rate setting, in which a federal or state agency establishes standard payment rates for each class of payer, may be the only feasible alternative, at least in the short run.

  • 出版日期2010-9