HR3590 Health Care Bill & Government Health Insurance

According to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, healthcare reform standards for electronic funds transfers and how health providers determine a patient’s eligibility will significantly reduce administrative costs for doctors and hospitals, private health plans, states and other government health plans. How significant? More than $16 billion during the next 10 years.

Sebelius said: “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, healthcare professionals will spend less time filling out paperwork and more time focusing on delivering the best care for patients.”

U.S. physicians spend nearly 12 percent of fees for the costs of filling out forms and performing complex administrative tasks, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs in 2010. Eliminating inefficient manual processes and simplifying the systems could save money and time — about 4 hours of professional time per physician and 5 hours of support staff time per week, and prove beneficial for both health care service providers and patients.