Many Unanswered Questions On Payment Reform

The next act of the Massachusetts health care reform drama is about to play out on Beacon Hill. As the same familiar characters return to the stage, the character who should be the hero of this drama, the patient, is nowhere to be found. Instead we are sitting down to a repeat performance.

The language of reform is promising, but the reality of implementation remains hazy. Over the next few days I will blog on why the House of Representatives’ bill left out the patient as part of the solution. However, for now, below are just a few questions to prime the pump for this discussion and for you to consider:

• How will western Massachusetts comply with the state mandate of e-medical records in 5 years when many areas don’t have internet?
• Is it possible for the Commonwealth to get rid of fee-for-service payments completely if Medicare is still paying in that manner?
• There are numerous new trust funds being established in this bill. What revenues (taxes) will be raised to fund them, and for how much each year?

Much more to come. Click here for the bill.