Washington Perspective
Playing the long game for budget, physician fee reforms
At a time of significant political polarization, funding the government becomes critical and difficult.
One pill can kill: Tackling substance use disorders
ACP believes that substance use disorders are a chronic medical condition and should be managed as such.
Elections directly impact health and health care delivery
With Civic Health Month (August) just behind us and with National Voter Registration Day coming up on Sept. 17, this is the time for internal medicine physicians to get engaged.
Persevere along the trail of your advocacy journey
ACP members took to the Capitol for Leadership Day to address reducing administrative burden, compensating physicians for the value of care they provide, and supporting programs that strengthen the physician workforce.
Legislation, wizardry, and standing up for med ed
ACP and other organizations oppose legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would bar medical schools engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion activities from receiving federal funding.
Women's health rights drive expansion of ACP policy
ACP's positions on women's health policy have grown from a few paragraphs into position papers, policies, and most importantly, progress.
ACP commits to finding health care for unhoused people
Amid an increasing housing crisis, ACP developed a policy paper to address this population's health care needs.
Action taken, more work needed on prior authorization
The issue of prior authorization is a legislative priority for ACP.
Health policy 'valentines' from ACP
ACP actively worked to improve the lives of members and their patients in 2023 by addressing several key issues, such as reducing administrative burdens and calling for Medicare to be able to negotiate prescription drug prices.
Be sure not to miss ACP's many health policy efforts
ACP recently released two important new policy papers on ensuring equitable access to elections and physician leadership of team-based models for patient care.
Handling the hassle of administrative hurdles
CMS released a proposed rule to address the administrative hassles of prior authorizations in Medicare Advantage plans, calling for automated processes, shorter decision-making time frames, and more transparency about the services subject to prior authorizations.
In time for Halloween, health care specters arise
ACP's Chief Advocacy Officer explains why the state of U.S. primary health care keeps her up at night.
Preparing today for tomorrow's potential pandemic
We all have a responsibility to reflect on our experiences with COVID-19 to identify both the good and the bad, assess the current state of pandemic preparedness, and implement a comprehensive plan.
Leadership, Leadership Day, and ‘purple’ as a guide
ACP's Chief Advocacy Officer issues a challenge to members of the College to be more “purple” in their outlook in order to achieve goals as a team, even when they disagree.
Family illness brings palliative care, other policies into focus
Personal experiences play out amid public health policy debates.
Improving the well-being of physicians and patients
Because more than 50% of the U.S. population will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetimes, more action is needed to support greater access to behavioral and mental health services.
ACP adapts reproductive health policy
Once the Supreme Court's final decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was released in June 2022, the landscape for reproductive health care in the U.S. immediately began to change.
The road to advocacy's ‘Final Four’
Although ACP achieved major changes to the evaluation and management (E/M) codes, implementation of these changes has not been perfect. There is ongoing work to be done.
Hear, hear for audio-only health care access
Audio-only telemedicine has improved patient care, especially for rural and disadvantaged patients. ACP is seeking member feedback on their use of the practice.
New year, new chances to advocate for physicians, patients
ACP played an essential role in several important health policy wins for physicians and their patients in 2022.
Sustained action, not just words, needed to address gun violence
ACP has an extensive and longstanding policy in place on reducing firearms injuries and deaths in the United States.
Congress passes historic health, climate change legislation
The Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to negotiate some prescription drug prices for the first time and includes provisions for climate change.
ACP policies target inequity to improve health
We must be intentional in our efforts to address the needs of individuals experiencing health care disparities and inequities based on social drivers of health.
A farewell perspective after 4 decades of advocacy
ACP's Special Advisor to the Chief Advocacy Officer and SVP Emeritus reflects on forty years of pursuing social justice and equity.
Chapter advocacy key to advancing ACP's priorities
ACP's legislative staff are following four key court cases on affirmative action, gun violence, climate change, and women's reproductive health care rights.
Celebrate mental health awareness every day
Recognizing mental health entails the individual acknowledging it and seeking help, society not stigmatizing those suffering from mental and behavioral disorders, and the nation providing adequate resources and personnel to address the problem.
Working toward fundamental change
ACP engages in a significant number of efforts on its own and with external organizations to help move the health care system to one that better addresses its vision for better health care.
40 years in health policy, then 40 days in the hospital
My time as a patient made me more aware, in a way that researching and writing about health policy can never do, that although my care experience was mostly positive, this is not the case for millions.
Congress' annual rite of passage to health care spending
ACP encourages Congress to consider end-of-year issues more fully, such as ensuring that Medicare payment cuts do not threaten primary care during what seems like an annual rite of passage.
Resolve to get involved in advocacy in 2022
While ACP has achieved several advocacy wins over the past year, physicians and their practices face ongoing challenges, and physicians themselves are needed to fight for changes.
ACP, agencies work to prioritize primary care
ACP has advocated for and in some cases been directly involved in advising on or developing efforts to reform primary care.
Democrats must reconcile to pass reconciliation
As the Democratic leadership moves forward with their slim majorities in Congress, they must agree among themselves on trillions of dollars of health care programs, including universal health care, Medicare expansion, and more tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act.
ACP's vision for U.S. health care, 20 months later
More than a year and half after ACP proposed its vision of health care reform, the organization is viewing how close it is to achieving a health care system that is available and affordable to all.
Why ACP engages in politics, without being partisan
ACP advocacy involves guiding or influencing governmental policy for the betterment of patients, the public, and physicians without engaging in partisan politics.
Health is infrastructure, and infrastructure is health
President Joe Biden's $2-trillion infrastructure proposal includes not only funding for roads, airports, and bridges, but also funding to expand access to long-term care services and eliminate all lead pipes and service lines.
Include everyone in health and support their physicians
Eleven words sum up what ACP hopes to achieve: Include everyone in health and health care and support their physicians.
ACA may soon be ‘bigger deal’ for uninsured Americans
The Affordable Care Act is here to stay, and the new administration and Congress are taking steps to reverse policies that created barriers to coverage and expand it where they have necessary legal authority.
Early acts by president presage bigger health care changes
President Biden wants to shake up health care policy in a direction that ACP has long called for on many issues. Congress will have a big say in whether grander and bigger changes occur.
Better health care starts with primary care
Putting primary and comprehensive care at the front and center of the U.S. health care system would reduce costs while improving outcomes.
Biden's first 100 days are a matter of life and death for many
Instead of a honeymoon, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will come into office on Jan. 20 with a country deeply divided by party, ideology, gender, race, education, and geography.
The Supreme Court, the ACA, and the fate of health care
A case regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is scheduled for oral arguments on Nov. 10.
The 2020 election and the future of health care
Regardless of the election outcome, it will take determination to make ACP's vision of “Better Is Possible” a reality moving forward.
Advocacy in the time of COVID-19
Since the pandemic, ACP has advocated for policies to support and sustain internal medicine physicians and their practices, to support public health, to ensure patient access to testing and treatment, and to ensure that there are enough internists to meet demand.
ACP speaks out on racism and law enforcement violence
ACP's New Vision for U.S. Health Care shows that the College is committed to finding solutions for discrimination, racism, and violence in individual and population health.
When will it be safe to resume economic and social activities?
ACP's guidance on easing social distancing suggests that “Is it time to reopen the economy?” is the wrong question to ask.
We must rise with the occasion and save our country
The current COVID-19 pandemic requires that ACP carefully craft public policies not only for how care is organized and delivered on the front lines but also for helping physicians save patients while keeping themselves safe as well.
10 years on, ACA faces an uncertain political future
On the 10-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, it has largely lived up to its potential while falling short in some respects, due in large part to court rulings, sustained political opposition from some quarters, and implementation problems.
ACP's plan to overcome obstacles to good health care
ACP's vision for U.S. health care addresses insurance costs, excessive prices, and more support for primary care as a way of improving the system.
ACP's 2019 advocacy wins set stage for more this year
ACP's legislative wins include changing CMS reimbursement rules, boosting research into firearm injuries and deaths, and spurring development of generic drugs.
Should American health care be tweaked, or overhauled?
If the former, then only modest, incremental policies may be needed to expand coverage at the edges and to lower out-of-pocket costs. If the latter, then more ambitious policies to fundamentally change how health care is financed, delivered, and covered would be needed.
It's hospital prices, stupid
Hospital prices are the largest contributor to overall health care spending, and lowering them would make health care more affordable.
Time to call out scare tactics blocking needed reform
The American College of Physicians aims to offer health care reforms that will ensure that all Americans have access to coverage and care at a price that they, and the country, can afford.
Making sausage
ACP has clear policy on what the organization stands for, which allows it to bring specific legislative recommendations to Congress.
Will Medicare's new primary care models be a game-changer?
New reimbursement models will begin the transition away from fee-for-service to risk-adjusted capitation payments, known as Primary Care First Model Options.
The NRA's extremist agenda endangers us all
Following the controversy of #ThisIsOurLane, ACP's Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs and Public Policy takes on the National Rifle Association's leadership, which he says advocates for extreme policies that endanger lives.
Medicare for all, or for anyone who wants it?
Physicians can have an outsized influence on the debate around Medicare for All versus private insurance.
Doctors and hospitals: Allies or adversaries?
While organizations representing hospitals and physicians often agree, there are three key areas in which they don't: site-neutral payments, buying physician practices, and hospital prices.
International colleagues face familiar problems
International internists face many similar problems as domestic colleague face, including training on bedside ultrasound, end-of-life conversations, and new diabetes guidelines.
All health policy is political, as it must be
The very nature of ACP advocacy involves participating in politics and the political process.
Congress and health care: In like a lion, out like a lamb?
Congress passed bipartisan legislation to fund the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a full fiscal year, the first time in over 20 years that a full year of funding became law.
Seeking a new vision for American health care
ACP's New Vision initiative will engage all of ACP's policy committees, as well as its membership, in examining what is working well and what is not with American health care.
ACP advocacy for better regulatory policies
Two proposed rules on reducing administrative hassles and improving reimbursement illustrate how ACP influences federal regulatory policies for physicians and patients.
Merger memories and abiding realities
Several of the issues that ACP is championing in 2018 live up to a vision created 20 years ago, when the organization merged with the American Society of Internal Medicine.
Making a difference in internists' daily work, patients' health
ACP seeks to understand how internists perceive its advocacy and how to best show them more clearly its relevance to their daily lives.
Finding common ground
Rather than standing on the sidelines, ACP selectively supports or opposes issues based on how closely they compare to our own policy recommendations, as determined by our membership.
Teach-back
Reflection on the past year as ACP president has taught lessons on advocacy and the scope of medicine, among other lessons.
It's time for doctors to say ‘never again’ to gun violence
Because the public trusts physicians on matters affecting their health, doctors can contribute so much to the fight for commonsense gun policy reforms. Learn how.
Improving health of patients, practice environment
ACP's advocacy goals address improving payments to internists' services, reducing administrative tasks imposed on them, blocking insurance mergers, streamlining Medicare's Quality Payment Program, and much more.
Preserving the Affordable Care Act despite the headwinds
Despite a treacherous political environment that posed a direct threat to ACP's efforts to preserve the historic gains in coverage from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a group of six medical societies was able to preserve key components of the program.
What would a happy health care New Year look like?
There are five ways that lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, and President Trump can work together on real solutions to the real problems in the American health care system.
A ‘near-death’ experience that's good news for patients
For all of its known flaws, the Affordable Care Act has extended coverage to millions of Americans, and was saved in the U.S. Senate by a slim margin. It's time for Congress to put aside partisan differences and come together to strengthen and heal Obamacare instead of trying to bring it down.
Why ACP must speak out against discrimination
While the country has surely made enormous progress in the past half-century in advancing equality and diversity, it's important to remember history when we consider the medical profession's obligation now to challenge discriminatory policies.
9-lives Obamacare survives zombie repeal
An attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed, but continued vigilance is required, since zombies don't easily die, and Congress could try again.
Four days in May
Leadership Day on Capitol Hill, when more than 400 ACP members met with their senators and representatives to advocate for College priorities, occurred against a backdrop of historic events.
ACP's ‘big tent’ advocacy agenda
ACP's advocacy on legislative and regulatory issues extends beyond partisan political debates and is meant to help physicians in their pursuit of clinical care.
What now for health care reform after a first try fails?
ACP's lobbying agenda includes working on a bipartisan basis to shore up health insurance markets, give people more choices of coverage, and protect coverage for the most vulnerable covered by Medicaid.
ACP engages in the political process because it is necessary
There is almost nothing that physicians and the larger health care system can do for patients that isn't affected by what comes down from Washington. ACP must become involved in the political process.
‘Facts are stubborn things' and are needed more than ever
ACP advocacy is based on the premise that public policy positions that are well supported by facts and evidence will be more persuasive and have greater acceptance.
Who loses if Obamacare is repealed? Just about everyone
Republican congressional leaders are beginning the process of enacting legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in stages, using a process that has been called repeal, delay, and replace.
What the Trump administration can learn from Obama
The idea that the GOP can come up with a quick and easy plan to replace the ACA is just not realistic. It is going to be a hard slog, not a sprint.
Health policy after the election
The 2016 elections will have huge consequences for health policy.
ACP to small practices: We've got your back
Internists in small practices worry that the payment disruptions from the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) will be the straw that breaks the camel's back for profitability. ACP is committed to ensuring that this doesn't happen.
Making MACRA better, in intent and implementation
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act makes significant improvements in how Medicare links payment to reporting of quality measures. Will CMS actually implement the law in a way that truly simplifies reporting?.
Setting the record straight on MACRA
There is a growing awareness among physicians that the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) makes important changes in how Medicare will reimburse them, as well as confusion about what will be different and what they should do to be ready.
CMS charts the way to a new Medicare payment system
Medicare is transitioning to a new value-based payment system, and the agency has outlined specifics about how it intends to implement it.
ACP's prescription for rising drug costs
ACP has 4 concrete proposals to address rising prescription drug prices: regulating and negotiating prices, enhancing transparency, increasing competition, and considering value.
Defining value and creating quality in the patient encounter
Critical questions will arise about defining and measuring value in the patient encounter when the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act goes into action.
From policy to results: How does it all come together?
The process by which advocacy organizations achieve results for their members can seem opaque to those who are not directly involved. How does advocacy really work?.
Merger mania, merger blues
ACP will continue to press federal and state regulators to block recently proposed insurance mergers, which may decrease choice and increase costs for patients and employers, reduce access due to changing and narrowing networks of physicians and hospitals, or prevent physicians from negotiation over provision of health services.
Must telemedicine disrupt the patient-doctor relationship?
Telemedicine will be highly disruptive to patients and physicians. Like other technological advances, such disruption can be a good thing, leading to improvements in patient care. It can also be disruptive in a bad way if it undermines that patient-physician relationship.
How's Obamacare doing in getting people covered?
With the Affordable Care Act in the midst of its third annual open enrollment period, more people are insured and most enrollees like their coverage. But now, it may be getting harder to sign people up.
How do physicians really feel about health care today?
Despite grumblings on social media, physicians are upbeat on the topics of health information technology, value-based payments, and the Affordable Care Act.
ACP advocacy is on a roll
ACP has scored major victories in Medicare's proposal to pay for advance care planning, a grace period for converting to ICD-10 coding, and access to affordable coverage.
How was ACP's 2015 Leadership Day different from all others?
Following the repeal of the sustainable growth rate, ACP seeks to secure its future through other legislative and regulatory goals, including physician payment reform, graduate medical education, and primary care workforce programs.
With SGR dead and buried, what's next for ACP advocacy?
Removing the sustainable growth rate formula frees up physician advocacy organizations to talk to Congress about other important issues that otherwise would have been overshadowed, such as the Primary Care Incentive Payment Program.
How Medicare fee-for-service is like a 1965 Ford Mustang
Fee-for-service reimbursement is a half-century old, and despite its staying power is now facing demands that it be modernized, if not traded in altogether.
A taxing season for Obamacare
April's tax filings may create sticker shock among the electorate, testing whether the gains in health care access made by millions of people can be sustained.
Does ACA coverage really make a difference?
Patients with health insurance have better outcomes and enjoy better quality of life. The Affordable Care Act is offering more people access, even though cost-sharing may still put better care out of reach.
How will the new Congress affect ACP's priorities?
ACP outlines its legislative agenda for the year, including resisting changes to the Affordable Care Act, preserving the Medicare primary care bonus program, and repealing the Medicare sustainable growth rate.
What do we know about Obamacare's enrollees?
Based on Obamacare's year 1 enrollment numbers, the law has been very successful in bringing down the numbers and percentages of people without health insurance. But these data also show why it struggles to win support among the broader public.
Putting patients before paperwork, and playing Whack-a-Mole
ACP has decided to once again take on the problem of excessive paperwork and other administrative burdens, including those imposed by the advent of electronic health records.
Government dysfunction: It's enough to make a grown man cry
A host of issues highlight the dysfunctional approach that federal and state governments have taken toward issues with a direct impact on health care.
Home sweet medical home
Patient-centered medical homes work because they incorporate best practices, pay internists for coordinating care, and ensure accountability in achieving healthy outcomes. Results from early adopters are showing positive results.
When will Medicaid begin to get the respect it deserves?
Medicaid is the largest provider of government-funded health coverage in the United States, based on number of people enrolled, yet it doesn't get as much attention as Medicare. That may soon change.
Did the Affordable Care Act make the grade?
Four years since health care reform became law, there is finally enough information to grade how well enrollment is going. It will be many more years before the program can be judged an overall success, however.
Four things that would improve the Affordable Care Act
After reflection on the first year of health care reform, and the conclusion of the first enrollment period, 4 aspects could make the program work even better.
What did 11 years, 16 patches and $154 billion get us? Nothing
There are plenty of examples of wasteful government spending, but the sustainable growth rate formula is hard to top.
Transparency needed for successful health care reform
Access to health care can collide with controlling costs. Balance, transparency and real choice will help not only the success of the Affordable Care Act, but Medicare Advantage and employer-based health plans.
Why 2014 may be a make-or-break year for health reform
2014 is shaping up to be a critically important year in determining whether the country moves forward or backward on expanding health insurance to 30 million uninsured persons and providing better consumer protections for many millions more.
Health reform's winners and losers: by the numbers
Breaking down the numbers offers insight into who stands to gain the most from the reforms provided by the Affordable Care Act. But the broader coverage offered under the law means that the country as a whole is better off.
Five questions that may decide success of health care reform
As open enrollment begins under the Affordable Care Act, its success depends upon who signs up, how easy it is to do so, and whether the states help their residents do so. Physicians can help their patients sign up.
ACP can help members, patients access insurance options
Health care reform has reached its implementation stage, and internists will now face new patients with new questions about how to access health care.
Will U.S. physicians swim or sink in changing health care waters?
Health care reform, pricing transparency and the movement away from fee-for-service payments mean the times are changing for American medicine.
ACP's Washington office reviews its own ‘seven days in May’
A recent week provides a great example of how ACP's Washington office supports College advocacy.
Firearms vote shows the worst of Washington politics
Washington, D.C., politics has become so dysfunctional that the federal government is no longer capable of solving great problems such as firearms-related injuries and deaths, the federal deficit and debt fueled by unsustainable health care spending.
Sequestration's cutbacks could cause patients serious harm
As sequestration's impact on health care looms, physicians must tell members of Congress reach a bipartisan agreement with the president to reduce spending on less effective and lower-priority programs, increase funding for more important and more effective programs, and further trim health care spending by focusing on unnecessary care.
Transparency needed for successful health care reform
With fewer than 10 months left until the Affordable Care Act's coverage guarantees take effect, how prepared are federal agencies and state governments to make the law work?.
Transparency needed for successful health care reform
Physician silence on gun control puts children and adults at risk from a person using firearms to harm them, in their classrooms, in their own homes, in their workplaces and on their neighborhood streets.
Tallying the fiscal cliff's winners and losers in health care
Congress avoided big tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts—barely. ACP examines who won and who lost in health care.
Addressing dissatisfaction in internists' day-to-day practice
As a direct result of ACP's advocacy efforts, internists will see higher Medicare and Medicaid payments and relief from intrusive administrative requirements.
Spending on physician services, take two
Reform is required in how physicians are paid, including a more rigorous analysis of the relative value of services and compensation for the cognitive work done outside of the patient encounter.
2012 election to decide four critical health care questions
Medicaid, Medicare, funding for medical education and guarantees of health insurance coverage for all Americans are on the line in the upcoming presidential election.
States' stances on health reform reflect political, moral choices
Now that health care reform is established at a national level, the battle moves to the states that choose to accept or reject establishment of health care exchanges and federal funding for Medicaid.
Positions on health care reform aren't all black and white
ACP's health care positions can't be neatly labeled as coming from one political perspective or another. A wide array of issues requires consideration.
Does the United States pay its doctors and hospitals too much?
The United States won't control health care costs until it addresses the excessive prices it pays for some health care services.
States eye health care reform if federal law is overturned
The Supreme Court is ruling on the constitutionality of health care reform, leaving states in the position of having to plan for any eventuality. Letting the states take the lead in health care reform remains a viable option.
Haggling over health care reform is like a children's game
Health care reform has made progress with internists already seeing bonus reimbursement in their offices. But the Affordable Care Act is about to run smack into the Supreme Court, and what happens there could result in any range of outcomes.
What is the state of American health care in this election year?
ACP's annual report on the state of health care cites proposed budget cuts as the biggest threat to recent advances made by health care reform. And more advances could be affected by the outcome of the presidential elections.
What can the audience expect from Congress' second act?
Congress' dysfunction has led to record-low approval ratings of 11%, and continued delays in resolving issues important to physicians, such as reimbursement and medical education.
Super fail: Congress sets new low for ineffectiveness
An attempt at political compromise failed, even when the consequences were so sever as to guarantee some type of success. The pressure will only increase in an election year, threatening physician payments, cuts to critical health programs and services, and no end in sight for a solution.
What should physicians contribute to deficit reduction?
ACP has proposed that Congress create a national, physician-led initiative to promote high-value care, promote research into comparative effectiveness, and reduce the needless expense of defensive medicine.
Mandated health care cuts don't equal health care reform
Under the new budget control agreement that President Obama and Congress reached in August to allow for an increase in the debt ceiling, federal health care spending could be subject to deep cuts.
Debt deal could hurt programs crucial to internal medicine
Politicians often choose to wait until the absolute last minute to strike a deal on difficult decisions.
When will the lights go out on fee-for-service?
Physicians have been paid according to the number of visits or procedures they bill for a very long time, almost half a century for Medicare.
Is this the end of Medicare and Medicaid as we know them?
President Obama and House Republicans have issued starkly different proposals on the future of Medicare and Medicaid.
Health care reform gets mixed reviews one year later
It's been a little over one year since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama. How is it faring?.
Budget brinkmanship may yet impact health care reform
An election is held. The political party that promised to change the direction of American politics wins a lopsided victory.
‘Rationing’ charge prevents real discourse on health care costs
Critics have unfairly attacked health care reform. But proponents haven't been straightforward about its costs. The truth involves how resources get allocated.
History will judge outgoing Congress' impact on health reform
One would have to go back more than 45 years to find a Congress that has had as big an impact on health care as the just-departed 111th Congress.
Influencing the details of health reform so internists get paid
It is often said that people don't see the forest for the trees, obsessing on the details instead of the big picture.
Would Congress cut funding for popular health care programs?
A serious bi-partisan discussion is needed to make serious decisions about health care reform.
Health care reform, PCMHs forge a new path for primary care
A new focus by health care reform advocates on the patient-centered medical home will forge a path toward financing and delivering primary care.
Monday morning quarterbacking doesn't score touchdowns
The “failure” to permanently reform the sustainable growth rate formula shouldn't jeopardize overall progress on health care reform.
Changing health care from the ground up
Health care reform will play out in doctors' offices, not in Washington, D.C. Patients and physicians will determine how costs change in the upcoming years.
Now begin the nuts and bolts of health care reform
The American College of Physicians begins an educational campaign to introduce health care reform to its members.
Health reform could improve the lives of patients, internists
Health reform legislation represents a historic shift in the federal government's role in health care, but debate continues whether it will be good for America and for internal medicine.
Change fee for service to another method that reflects quality
Fee-for-service payments need to align incentives with value of services rendered.
Medicare could stay solvent if stakeholders act soon
Congress faces unpopular options as they consider how to stay solvent through this decade and the next.
Even with new legislation, health care reform would evolve
Every Congress has made its mark on Medicare since the program's inception in 1965. Success or failure for health care reform isn't the end of the journey, but another milestone.
Political perils of cost control complicate health care reform
Even if health reform passes, the problem of rising costs will not go away. And politicians cannot confront the fundamental issue that Americans can't have all the health care they want.
Affordable health care puts individuals, society at odds
The public would have more confidence in the cost-control measures that emerge from health care reform if physicians led the discussion.
Finding common ground when some gain and others lose
Proposals that redistribute money pose a special challenge to physician membership organizations. Physicians expect their societies to represent their interests, but what happens when one subset of members stands to benefit at another’s expense? ACP chooses a path that’s best for patients.
Health care reform at the precipice: What happens next?
A snapshot of health care reform as Congress takes a mid-summer break. Multiple bills need to be reconciled, while members of Congress face increasing pressure from advertising and lobbying.
Three keys to health care reform: change, buy-in and unity
Politicians acknowledge needing more primary care physicians, but paying for it requires support from elected officials and from the College.
Primary care gains ground but pay reform still up in the air
Politicians acknowledge needing more primary care physicians, but paying for it requires support from elected officials and from the College.
Can Obama team navigate rough waters of health reform?
A large number of Americans favor health care reform, which could help the new President as he seeks to overcome mandates, taxes and pay cuts.
Stimulus package part of down payment on health reform
Stimulus legislation enacted in the first two months of President Obama's administration show that the White House is serious about health care reform.
What do Obama's first weeks tell us about health care reform?
Searching the first 100 days of President Barack Obama's administration for clues about health care reform.
Getting back to basics: reform care at the doctor-patient level
President Barack Obama and Congress is a return to basics, a recognition that the relationship between patients and their primary care doctor is the basis of all good medical care. But reform will also require funding.
Will President-elect Obama achieve true health care reform?
Four good reasons why President-elect Barack Obama may succeed in reforming health care.
What will it take to fix the broken reimbursement system?
Align physician reimbursement to compensate for the best possible patient care coordination.
The ‘central fiscal challenge’ the candidates aren't discussing
None of the presidential candidates are discussing health care cost containment, setting up reform as an issue doomed to fail after the election.
What this year's Medicare battle portends for health care
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) was a huge victory for ACP and its allies.
A passion for primary care and politics at Internal Medicine
Internists often ask me what it will take to restore primary care in the U.S. Even more important than policies, strategies or tactics is having the passion to create great change.
Progress creates pushback as ACP moves ahead on reform
Recent events show how much progress we are making, and the growing level of controversy that has resulted.
ACP's widely cited paper on universal access grew out of intensive policy development process
Achieving consensus on complicated policy issues to produce meaningful, evidence-based policy presents a significant challenge for large membership organizations like ACP.
Will the 2008 elections be the turning point for health care?
For the first time in 15 years, health care reform is back as a major campaign issue.
Democrats overplay their hand on health care policy
The newly elected Democratic majority that took charge of Congress last January promised an ambitious health care agenda.
Congress needs to rewrite script for fixing payment system
Washington, D.C. is once again playing its own version of the film “Groundhog Day.”.