Health Policy Program

New America Foundation
 

Sept. 23, 2010 marks the six-month anniversary of enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A number of new insurance protections will be effective for all health insurance plans beginning on or after Sept. 23, 2010, marking the next phase of health care reform implementation.

Over time, all consumers will benefit from the provisions in the new health care reform law; however, depending on an individual’s specific employer, insurance plan, and existing state regulations, the benefits will be felt at different times and to a different extent.

It is possible to delivery higher quality care at lower costs in the U.S. health care system. We have to look no further than Grand Junction, CO to prove it is possible. In 2006, average Medicare spending per enrollee in Grand Junction was $5,800, about 30 percent lower than the national average of $8,300 and more than 60 percent lower than high-cost areas like McAllen, Texas.

In these case studies for The Commonwealth Fund, Dr. Nichols and Tom Emswiler examine high-performing health care systems to see how they achieve better outcomes at lower cost. Both the Hill Physicians Medical Group, an association of physicians in individual practice, and the Baylor Health Care System, a highly integrated delivery system, have successfully standardized care, implemented electronic medical records, and improved clinical outcomes.