A major issue in health care right now is the quality of ensuring care for Medicare patients. Medicare provides health insurance for older Americans and the disabled. There are 42 million Americans age 65 or older who receive Medicare benefits. This increased amount of benefits accounts for 50% of the federal budget. Medicare patients pay a first deductible and then Medicare covers there remaining hospital expenses. Health care expenses have increased over the years due to the growth of an older population due to the baby boomers.
Due to this, there is an expansion of insurance companies paying medical bills. Most insurers use a "after-the-fact" payment policy that results in a cost screen. There is two sides to this issue. One side agrees that doctors will need to face cuts of 5 to 10% in their reimbursements. They also will get paid based on their quantity of patients instead of their quality of treatments. The other side disagrees with this by saying that the government is undermining doctors' judgement. They do not believe that pay-for-performance should be allowed.
I would have to agree with the side that opposes the government led pay-for performance. Representative Pete Stark from California states that federal officials "do not have the capability, the understanding, the knowledge, or the training" to set standards for the quality of medical care. The government plan pays doctors for compliance rather than performance which I believe is not right. The federal government believes that this after-the-fact payment will lead to a 1.5 bonus. This in return will not fulfill the needs to cover the deficit.
Pete Stark repitches health care plan:
Comprehensive vs. Incremental Health Care Reform
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