UCLA Medical Center unsure how health care bill will affect it

While the health care bill is the topic of much debate in the Senate, the UCLA Medical Center has not made any predictions as to how it will be affected by the legislation.

Dale Tate, UCLA Health System spokeswoman, said the possible effects of any single bill on the hospital are unknown.

There are currently two bills aimed at instituting health care reform: one passed by the House and one passed in the Senate.

Since the two proposed bills will undergo changes before they become one piece of legislation ready for the president’s signature, Tate said the medical center has not begun making any projections about their impact.

While the bills have differences, most notably the presence of a public option in the House’s version, they both seek to provide millions of uninsured Americans with affordable health care, said Mark Peterson, professor of public policy and political science.

Peterson said the final health care bill, if passed, could end up being a double-edged sword for hospitals, rather than being strictly beneficial.

Currently, the government compensates hospitals for the number of uninsured patients they treat. However, with the passage of either bill, there could be reductions in federal funding due to an increase in the number of people who would be covered, Peterson said. This could mean less federal money for hospitals.

Michael Dukakis, a visiting professor of public policy, said the increased coverage would be beneficial for hospitals, since virtually all the incoming patients would have insurance.

The funding for the type of coverage offered by either bill could, in part, come from the pharmaceutical industry and health insurance companies, Peterson said.

“The basic principle is that it’s a shared responsibility,” Dukakis said, echoing Peterson’s statement.

The wait for a final bill, if one comes at all, could be a long one.

Republican filibustering is unlikely to end soon, since the Democrats do not have the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture on the bill.

Even if the bill were to pass, however, Peterson said one problem still lingers.

“The question is how they are going to go from two different bills to one single bill,” Peterson said.

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