Health Care Utilization Paper

Running head: Health Care Utilization

Health Care Utilization Paper
Jazzmyn Mitchell
Date: July 3, 2015

Health care reform is part of an ongoing debate and recent substantial legislation. After more than a year of debate and countless meetings, votes, and speeches, I think that the Congress had finally passed the sweeping health reform legislation. By an overwhelming majority, leaders in health care and health policy have been thinking that the new reformed law will successfully expand access to affordable health insurance to the millions of Americans who currently go without it. (United States Census Bureau, 2015) I think that the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey- which was fielded the legislation is still pending in Congress – also found that virtually all key features of the health reform law are supported by a large majority of opinion leaders. (Health Affairs, 2015) In addition to coverage expansion, large majorities of opinion leaders supported the inclusion of major elements of reform in the new law. In addition to the reforming of the health care law, I think that around eight out of ten opinion leaders said that innovative payment reform initiatives like patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, and a new payment innovation center are to be housed within the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (United States Census Bureau, 2015). I think that while there was substantial consensus on major components of the law, less experts were less likely to agree that the legislation will improve the affordability of health insurance for Americans that already have coverage or that it would begin to control rising health care costs and not add to the federal budget deficit. I think that the differences among respondent categories is because they were particularly sharp, with half of those in academic and research institutions believing the law would improve affordability, compared with 25% of those in...