Health-Care Reform Hard Sell to American Voters

The Washington Post's online panel Health Care Rx provides a forum for experts to offer real-world insights into how to improve health care. This week, panelists were asked to address the question, "Do you think that a government-sponsored health insurance option is needed to help control rising costs and 'keep insurers honest,' as President Obama says?" , Washington Post reports.

For all the back and forth about the “public option,” Congressional Budget Office estimates and proposed tax hikes, the fundamentals are really what make health-care reform a hard sell to American voters. As members of Congress head home for the August recess, they should take a close look at some poll numbers before they attempt to pass any new legislation , Wall Street Journal reports.

But under the prospective payment system, the government pays a hospital an amount it deems is appropriate for the care of a Medicare recipient. Payment size is determined by a patient's discharge diagnosis, not the services rendered during the hospitalization nor the patient's length of stay. An institution that spends more than the government allots eats the loss , San Jose Mercury News reports.