Healthcare Reform - some questions. Medical Billing News!

Funding health care reform
Remaking America’s health care system and covering the uninsured will require a substantial financial investment. Any solution must not only be viable today, but sustainable for years to come. Where will we find the dollars? Can health care savings pay some of the cost? Should we continue the unlimited tax-exempt status for health insurance premiums on employer plans?

Determining our personal responsibility
In the simplest terms, health insurance works because the healthy help offset the cost of caring for the sick. How can we encourage more healthy individuals to purchase health insurance? Should every American be required to purchase coverage?

Removing barriers to coverage
Those who need it most – people with pre-existing conditions – are often unable to obtain health insurance. They’re either not eligible, or coverage is unaffordable. Should we require health insurers to accept anyone, regardless of their health? Should your health determine how much you pay for health insurance?

Deciding the role of government
Some believe government should run health insurance. Others believe a competitive, private-market system provides greater value. Some propose creating a government health plan to compete with private health insurers. Opponents see that as a step toward government-run health care.

Promoting the most effective medical treatments
Who decides which medical treatments, tests, and technologies are effective and should be covered? Should cost matter, or should we only ask how well the treatment works?

Encouraging wellness
A tide of chronic, preventable disease – representing 70 percent of health care costs – threatens to overwhelm our health care system. Smoking, lack of activity, and increased weight lead the list of controllable factors contributing to the problem. How can we help people live healthier lives?

Harnessing health information technology
Connecting the health care system with electronic medical records and other technologies could help reduce paperwork and unnecessary cost. Such connections could help prevent medical errors and bring the latest treatment information to the exam room. Technology can also be used to provide information on the prices and performance of health care providers, which could help patients make better-educated decisions.