“I didn’t know that!” – How Health Care Reform is Beginning to Control Costs | Capital Commentary

“I didn’t know that!” – How Health Care Reform is Beginning to Control Costs | Capital Commentary by Clarke Cochrane.  MGB: Interestingly, Dr. Cochrane's brother teaches at my Alma Mater, Loras College, in the field where I graduated. 

On a more sour note, it is not certain that mandates and cost cutting are adequate to keep private insurance in business once reform is fully implemented.  If too many people elect to take the penalty rather than the policy, the whole system could collapse and be replaced with either a subsidized public option or full on single payer (or at least single payer catastrophic).  Still, the $250,000 figure cited reflects the cost of care in the last year of life.  Shifting payments to retirees may result in de facto death panels or simply people not getting the treatment that might just continue their life or at least make passing easier. 

One wonders what "payment for results" means when the Pater Familius is lying in intensive care in a coma after a heart attack where he was brought back, but not all the way, and later dies - this being the story of my father's passing.  I am sure that this care given today would have been close to $1 million.  Indeed, the reason for the low $250,000 figure is that some get extreme care and others get nothing because they die quickly.  We can certainly save money by not bringing people back (like my father) who had no prognosis of success - the question is, do we want to make that a matter of financial necessisty.  Of course, if modern cryogenic techniques had been used, he might be around today berating me for my support of Obama and the danger he would see that this presents to my soul.