How much will health insurance reform cost and how are we going to pay for it?
While there currently is no final bill and the cost remains uncertain, I strongly believe that health insurance reform should be deficit neutral-this means that it should not increase the national debt. I believe that we should start by finding savings in our current system. This is critical to control unsustainable health care costs in the long run. There are many ways in which our current system can be improved, including reducing preventable hospital readmissions, encouraging doctors and hospitals to work together to manage and coordinate care, and ensuring doctors and nurses have the most accurate and up to date research when making treatment decisions. This also means eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the health care system. While these savings will be substantial, there may need to be other revenue raising measures to ensure that reform is deficit neutral. These discussions are still going on in Washington.
