Congressmen Introduce Incentive-Laden Health Legislation

Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Earl Pomeroy (D-Nd.) have introduced new legislation that will reform America’s health care system by emphasizing the quality of care Americans receive.

The Accountable Care Promotion Act of 2009 calls for the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), which would reduce unnecessary health care spending, and provide incentives to physicians who provide better quality health care services for their patients.

The Congressmen cited facts discovered by the Dartmouth Institute’s Dr. Elliott Fisher, whose research concluded that “regions with lower per-patient Medicare spending often provide higher-quality care and better health outcomes.”

Said Rep. Pomeroy, “Accountable Care Organizations [are] integrated systems where providers work together. They have primary care medicine at the forefront, helping coordinate a patients access to the care they need.”

Under the proposed legislation, health care organizations would voluntary become apart of ACOs, which in return would provide health care providers with a financial incentive that would help cut costs and supply higher quality care.