In this article, Dr. Mulligan claims that Massachusetts' model of healthcare does not provide an accurate picture of what the Affordable Care Act will look like on a national level. Thoughts?
Also interesting, the "reader picks" comments (at the time of this posting) are by Massachusettsian skeptics of their current state system noting that it does nothing to quell costs of procedures (money going from government/insurance companies to hospitals) and salaries of doctors. I'm under the impression that both of these will take losses; however, I'm interested to see how this pans out.
Do you believe the ACA to be a necessary, and beneficial program? What pressures will the ACA have on the economy?
My biggest concern about the affordable care act is the fact that it will very likely drive down the amount of money doctors make. This will make the idea of becoming a doctor less appealing. I have many pre med friends who are rather angry over the whole thing because it will put a big dent in their eventual paycheck. Also, this Act makes me concerned over the quality of care people will receive. If doctors are paid less due to this act, they may be less motivated to do a good job. This is extremely concerning.
ReplyDeleteDoctors are incredibly overpaid in many instances as it is. Hospitals receive enormous stipends and government grants--to provide minimal subsequent care.
DeleteI understand and respect it as a valuable service. However, the ACA is simply trying to quantify doctor's value in more realistic 'real' monetary terms. It will make healthcare more affordable, and curtail inflated doctor/hospital pay. Of courrrse this upsets those in the medical/hospital profession. Any pay decrease would do this, no matter how necessary it might be in reality.
I think this will prove to be incredibly challenging for small businesses. Many of those who managed to survive the economic downturn are still struggling to keep up their margins, and this will put even further stress on small businesses.
ReplyDeleteIt could also save them in long term costs. All depends on how you look at things. Most employers would have to pay Workers Comp, Disability, etc--In instances when one of the staff falls ill or gets injured as a result of their independent poor medical care. With more healthcare options provided by the employer, it is a long-term prevention measure. Its easy to see the upfront costs as a downfall. But how can one estimate the effects of not doing it? How can we quantify the mitigated instances when costs would otherwise skyrocket because of failed medical preventionary measures?
DeleteThere are also a myriad of employer incentives to take on the parameters of the ACA. Tax incentives especially. There is a lot to bear in mind when considering the ramifications for small businesses on the whole.
In the long run I think it will help solve some of the inefficiencies we see in our system, like offering more low cost preventive care over eventually spending much more on expensive surgeries or treatment that could have been controlled with this preventive care.
ReplyDeleteI also see the long run benefit of this Affordable Care Act because “that the health care law will improve the affordability and accessibility of health care without significantly affecting the labor market”. However, this new law will put more pressure on employers and employees so I think it will have some effect on the economy.
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with everyone else and say that the ACA will most likely benefit us in the long run because it will allow more people who can't afford medical care to receive it, but in return doctors will be making less money. It's a toss up, but I think it could be a good thing.
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