Some of the other big takeaways from the mind of the former Vermont governor and Democratic Party chair:

The end result of healthcare reform may well be the end of company-sponsored health plans. Says Dean:

The administration's decision to delay implementation of the employer mandate until 2015 will help funnel individuals and families who do not get insurance through their employer into the exchanges. While this may benefit the participating insurers in the short term, this also accelerates the trend toward divorcing health care from employment. … That development will lead to the end of job lock for workers and contribute to a more competitive American business community in the longer run.

Another major consequence may be the death of the fee-for-service system. Says Dean:

"Accountable Care Organizations could eliminate duplicative services and prevent medical errors while seeking to reduce costs for individuals, particularly if their creation ultimately leads to the end of fee-for-service medicine, as I believe it will."

The health exchanges will prove to be hugely beneficial to average Americans who now have little or no control over any aspect of their health coverage. Says Dean:

"The Health Insurance Marketplace exchange systems, once implemented, will provide individuals with competitive plan options based on price, services, quality and other factors. Even more important, the exchanges will make the process of securing health insurance much easier and more transparent for millions who don't currently have it."

Despite his effusive praise for most aspects of the PPACA, Dean has little use for the Independent Payment Advisory Board. It can't and won't work, he says, and will only wind up giving a small group of politically motivated individuals too much power that they will wield inappropriately. Says Dean:

"The IPAB is essentially a health-care rationing body. By setting doctor reimbursement rates for Medicare and determining which procedures and drugs will be covered and at what price, the IPAB will be able to stop certain treatments its members do not favor by simply setting rates to levels where no doctor or hospital will perform them.

Instant Insights /

Howard Dean: PPACA’s payment board won’t work

More From HR Executive

Related Stories

Recommended For You