ENTtoday

Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Key Health Care Issues

by Michael O'Neal •

Romney: Romney hasn’t explicitly outlined his position on ACOs but supports alternatives to the fee for service payment model and promotes ratings systems of insurance plans and hospitals so that patients can compare cost, quality and value, and he says, are ultimately empowered to make informed decisions about their own care.

Health Information Technology

President Obama: President Obama believes the federal government should subsidize the cost of electronic health records (EHRs) for hospitals and physicians to increase adoption of the systems. His administration created the EHR Incentive Program and increased funding for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology by signing into law the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009.

Romney: Romney agrees that hospitals and physicians should implement EHRs to lower costs and improve care coordination. But, he argues that states, and not the federal government, should provide incentives for the adoption of the technology.

E-Prescribing

President Obama: Currently, e-prescribing requirements are mandated under the Medicare Act and the ACA. In May of this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a rule requiring hospitals and pharmacies to update their e-prescribing technology requirements in order to eliminate unnecessary spending and increase efficiency. The Obama Administration predicts that the new rulings will save the government more than $5 billion over the next five years.

Romney: In late 2003, Romney, then governor of Massachusetts, signed An Act Relative to Electronic Signatures. According to the Massachusetts Medical Society, the act not only enabled many commercial entities to use electronic signatures, but it also allowed doctors to electronically prescribe medications to patients through their pharmacies.

Although Romney has not issued any explicit statements regarding e-prescribing since announcing his candidacy for president, most political experts agree that Romney would not reverse any rulings on e-prescribing that would save the government money.

Comments from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

“The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery [AAO-HNS], through its political action committee ENT PAC, does not get involved in presidential elections. Therefore, we do not comment on a particular candidate’s position statement on any issue or a political party’s ‘platform’ of issues. We do, however, monitor whether certain issues, particularly health care, are included in the general debate. Since the 2012 elections will likely focus primarily on the economy, we urge all candidates to remember that physicians and their practices are an important part of the economic equation. And, we must all work together to ensure patients continue to have access to quality health care.”