Payment reform. The lynchpin of health care reform

Abstract

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law last year includes provisions that will improve access to health care for everyone in the United States and extend insurance coverage to some 300 million people who currently do not have it. But insurance reforms and expansion of coverage are only part of the solution to the problems within our health care system.The way health care is paid for is another important element of reform.This article describes the steps we need to take to change the way we pay for health care and efforts that are underway both in the United States and Minnesota to test new payment models.