Health care reform is high on Peter Orszag’s agenda. Orszag stresses that improving America’s health care system will in turn improve the nation’s economy, long term.
As the director of the OMB from November 2008 through July of 2010, Orszag played a key role in catalyzing health care reform. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Obama’s health care reform bill of 2010 would cost about 940 billion dollars over a decade. While the opposition finds this figure too high, proponents such as Orszag insist that a total re-haul of the health care system is necessary to save money in the long run, provide stability to the nation, and worthwhile health care to the American people.
The Bill
Figures presented by the CBO show that the bill would reduce the deficit by $143 billion in the first decade and $1.4 trillion in the next decade. The Medicare deficit would be reduced by 75 percent, and 32 million Americans without insurance would be covered.
It’s important to consider that health care reform aims not only to save the nation’s money, but also to improve the health care system as a whole, to provide quality care to all Americans, and to create a healthier nation in general. For example, in the quantity/quality dichotomy, focus would turn to quality of care. All processes and testing would be more efficient. There would be consequences for hospitals with high rates of readmission or infections/illnesses acquired at the establishment. With a more streamlined system, health care would be efficient, and more cost-effective.
With health care come government entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Health care reform would focus on improving the effectiveness of these programs as well. An Independent Payment Advisory Board, made up of medical personnel, would have the responsibility of addressing this.
As part of the nonpartisan influence on the decisions made regarding America’s economy, Orszag clearly emphasizes the importance of health care reform to stabilize the economy and optimize health care experiences of all Americans.