The debate over health-care overhaul legislation is still raging, more than two months after its passage, over issues such as the final price tag, and how legislative language will be turned into actual rules.
A study published today in the journal Health Affairs, however, argues that if the goal of legislation was to cover the most people at the lowest cost, the bill that was passed was the best option that was also politically feasible.
Researchers at Rand Corp. analyzed more than 2,000 policy scenarios that differed on elements such as income eligibility for Medicaid, the size of companies subject to the bill’s requirements and the penalties for companies and individuals not complying with the bill’s provisions. They found that to cover an additional 4 million people at the same cost, the penalty for ignoring the individual mandate to purchase insurance would have to be 47% higher — which Rand researchers judged as politically untenable.
Tags: Study: Health-Care Overhaul Law Best Option Given Politics