This column explores how health reform is changing the ways in which we pay for and deliver health care in the U.S. It also highlights the ways in which our current system is falling short on measures of coverage, access and affordability. On any given week, that could mean a look at how Republican plans to repeal Obamacare could reshape the individual insurance market, how the safety net system is adapting to new financial pressures, or how the trend of doctors and hospitals merging into ever-larger entities is driving up costs. We also explore health care costs and whether the Affordable Care Act or its successor plans can live up to the promise to rein them in. Throughout, we keep watch on how the goals of health reform intersect with the shaping power of markets and human behavior. Contributors include veteran health journalist Trudy Lieberman and independent health journalist Kellie Schmitt, with occasional contributions from independent journalists such as Susan Abram and Sara Stewart.
Patient-Centered Primary Care Medical Homes have been around for decades. The more you know about the intention behind them, the more you wonder, "How could that not be a good idea?" Based on the research, cost of implementation and effect on patient care, the answer I found may surprise you.
Reporting on Health will cover the momentous effort to broaden health insurance access. Our focus will be on California, a bellwether state widely viewed as a proving ground for Obamacare. Read more about our new “Remaking Health Care: the Affordable Care Blog.”
