Healthy debate: change was warranted, but is Obamacare the solution?

• Author: Martin, Maria
• Position: HEALTH REPORT - Barack Obama - Column

Mention the Affordable Care Act to a business owner, a health care provider or any of the millions of uninsured people who have struggled to pay medical costs, and you're likely to stir up a lively conversation.

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The Affordable Care Act (ACA), officially named the Patient Protect ion and Affordable Care Act, was signed into law by President Obama in NI arch 2010. Its aim is to dramatically increase the number of Americans who receive health insurance, in part by streamlining IL delivery of health care and improving patient outcomes.

Many complain that the word "affordable" has no place in the name of the Act, while reactions from individuals who aren't covered by employers are mixed.

But most of those involved in providing that health care agree on this: The time for change is now.

Debbie Welle-Powell, vice president of accountable health and payer strategies for SCL Health System, says the future is clear.

"We have to get really good at managing the continuum of care for a patient." Welle-Powell says. "Our focus is on the population health."

That means connecting everything from outpatient services to prevention to acute care to home care, she says.

"With the newly insured, the system will break us if don't start asking questions like how much care is needed, and what kind of rare do we need," she says.

Bruce Johnson, an attorney with Polsinelli, says many of the changes that have swept the country were in the making for years.

"The Institute of Medicine and other groups have focused on the fact that we spend a lot on health care, but we don't always get a great value," said Johnson, Who has worked with physician practices for 23 years in Colorado.

"It promotes access to health care and it puts the screws down on some of the fraud," Johnson said. He adds that health care is an essential ingredient in our economy. "Without doubt, there are crooks, and everyone would agree that we should stop that."

Administrators at hospitals also agree that one of the biggest benefits to the ACA will be expanded coverage, which means fewer people waiting until they are desperately ill and in need costly emergency room care. Nobody in thy industry would dispute that hospitals treating uninsured clients drives up costs.

Simon Smith, executive vice president it of Clinica Family Health Services, says the ACA will benefit many of the nonprofit it organization's clients.

In addition to those who will be newly insured, Colorado has expanded...