NEW YORK TIMES:
Jerome Pate, a homeless alcoholic, went to the emergency room when he was cold. He went when he needed a safe place to sleep. He went when he was hungry, or drunk, or suicidal…
He made 17 emergency room visits in just four months last year, a costly spree that landed him in the middle of an experiment to reinvent health care for the hardest-to-help patients here in Hennepin County…
More than 11 million Americans have joined the Medicaid rolls since the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act went into effect, and health officials are searching for ways to contain the costs of caring for them. Some of the most expensive patients have medical conditions that are costly no matter what. But a significant share of them — so-called super utilizers like Mr. Pate — rack up costs for avoidable reasons. Many are afflicted with some combination of poverty, homelessness, mental illness, addiction and past trauma… (more)
EDITOR: There are two sides to the Affordable Care Act: One was to quickly provide coverage for millions and improve coverage for the rest. The other was, over several years, to find ways to reduce the cost of providing care while improving treatment.
Recent reports indicate cost reduction is being accomplished even beyond what was anticipated by “Obama Care” ‘s authors.
