Health Law Reduces Out-Of-Pocket Expenses, But Medical Costs Can Still Be Overwhelming
One of the key aims of the health law was to protect consumers from ruinous medical debt, but some people still find it difficult to pay their health bills. Also, another health law provision created an organization to figure out which medical treatments work best to help consumers and the government save money on care.
USA Today:
Obamacare Reduces Maximum Out-Of-Pocket Costs, But Not Enough For Some
Obamacare went a long way toward preventing the insurmountable medical bills that led to a large percentage of U.S. bankruptcies. But for many people, the $6,600 per-person, per-year cap on out-of-pocket costs might as well be $600,000, it's so unlikely they could pay it. (O'Donnell and Ungar, 8/3)
The Center for Public Integrity:
Obamacare Research Institute Plans To Spend $3.5 Billion, But Critics Question Its Worth
Business has been brisk at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute or, PCORI, as it is known. The institute was created by Congress under the Affordable Care Act to figure out what medical treatments work best — measures largely AWOL from the nation’s health care delivery system. Since 2012, PCORI has committed just over $1 billion to 591 “comparative effectiveness” contracts to find some answers, with much more spending to come. Money has thus far gone to researchers and medical schools, advocacy groups and even the insurance industry’s lobbying group, which snagged $500,000. (Schulte, 8/4)
