As the American Health Care Act trudges through the Senate, Anesthesia Business Consultants President and CEO Tony Mira penned a blog post on how the bill could affect anesthesia groups.
Here's what you should know:
1. The AHCA could possibly leave 23 million Americans without insurance while reducing the federal deficit by $119 billion, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. Mr. Mira suggests anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists should review their payer mixes to get a better sense of what the AHCA could affect if passed in its present form.
2. The bill would impact Medicaid beneficiaries and the elderly the most, while younger Americans would see reductions in premiums. High-income earners would receive several tax breaks.
3. CBO projections say 51 million people could lose insurance by 2026. If the ACA remains in place only 28 million could lose insurance by 2026.
4. Patient premiums would increase through 2019 by 25 percent, but they would decrease in 2020, associated with a decrease in benefits.
5. Healthcare-based advocate groups oppose the bill. Conservative lobbying groups have varied opinions on the bill, some like the Heritage Foundation are in favor, while others like the Cato Institute oppose it.
Economists are wary over the bill's use of high-risk pools, saying the designated funding would have little to no effect concerning overall coverage.
More articles on anesthesia:
CMS approves Interventional Pain Data Registry
Gender inequality lower in anesthesia, but female salary still lower than male counterparts — 4 key notes
Florida Pain Relief Group opens new clinic — 3 insights