Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012
This Week's News
ACA ruling means lower costs, more uninsured patients than expected
A federal report released recently estimates that the government will save billions while 3 million more Americans remain uninsured as a result of the Supreme Court of the United States' decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation re-evaluated previous cost estimates of the insurance coverage provisions of the law, finding that the court's decision, which made Medicaid expansion optional, would result in savings of $84 billion to the federal government.
At the same time, the report estimates that 6 million fewer people than previously estimated will be covered by Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. About 3 million of those people will be enrolled in health care exchanges, and another 3 million people will remain uninsured.
This gap in insurance coverage for millions of low-income patients speaks to the fact that much work remains to be done to strengthen the nation's health care system. While the ACA was an important first step, the AMA continues to work with Congress and the Obama Administration to make needed improvements, including elimination of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula and enactment of medical liability reforms.
Learn more about the AMA's efforts to achieve these goals on behalf of physicians and patients.
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