Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

McCain vs. Obama Health Care, Pt.6 – The final health analysis.

Previous...

Although Mr. Oberlander seems to admit to the much greater merit of Mr. Obama’s proposals, he also suggests an element of uncertainty. Because Mr. O’s plan does not mandate ‘all’ Americans acquire health insurance, his plan still may not achieve ‘universal health insurance/care coverage’. It will only deliver ‘universal health insurance/care access’. Mr. Oberlander does, however, concede good success with the 'new public and private insurance options’. He also points out that Mr. O would still have the option of pressing harder for an adult mandate in the future, if the current plan proves insufficient.

Mr. Oberlander also points out that, even though Mr. O’s plan would greatly expand access for affordable and comprehensive health insurance, there remain some questions concerning “cost-control mechanisms and a viable financing source”. The ‘reinsurance’ protections conceded to the private health insurance sector for high-dollar care, while maybe necessary, will also cause associated hikes in the government’s responsibility.

Cost control promises to remain one of the biggest questions of sustaining a health insurance/care system. The large savings estimates, tagged from the large-scale improvements of ‘electronic medical records’, much better ‘chronic condition’ management and significant preventive care savings are all noteworthy. But placing a timetable on the returns remains aloof, at best. The bottom line will be to slow down the spending for healthcare. Mr. Oberlander sums it by stating that in the end, much will depend on “enrollment and the political willingness to restrain provider payments.”

Massachusetts is dealing with that very issue right now. As Mitt Romney warns, they have well-achieved their first initiative of resolving the tremendous ‘uninsured’ problem. But the next large project is to greatly improve on cost control. (For more on this issue, please refer to the article series “Mass. Health, A Creator Explains”.) They are now in the trenches of facing angry industries who don’t want to give anything up. The first focus is now on the medical care industry, But there are serious reverberations that the local private health insurance industry is having a ‘heyday’ and will also have to be dealt with.