Neurosurgery Featured in Article on Joe Biden’s Health Care Proposals

On Aug. 12, Medscape published an article titled, “Election 2020: What Exactly Is Joe Biden’s Healthcare Plan?” The piece featured comments by Katie O. Orrico, Esq., director of the AANS/CNS Washington Office. On the question of Medicare for all, Ms. Orrico stated that the AANS and the CNS “support expanding health insurance coverage, but the expansion should build on the existing employer-based system.” She added that shifting more Americans into government-sponsored health care will inevitably result in lower payments for physicians’ services, noting that reimbursement “rates from Medicare, Medicaid, and many ACA exchange plans already do not adequately cover the costs of running a medical practice.”

On the topic of COVID-19, Ms. Orrico pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some cracks in the U.S. health care system, and policymakers will likely take a closer look at issues related to unemployment, health insurance coverage, and health care costs due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Finally, Ms. Orrico acknowledged that there are ways to improve the current health care system, such as moving to value-based care.