Report: Changes could make health care more affordable

(The Center Square) – An Ohio policy group believes expanding medical providers, reducing fraud and increasing competition can make health care more affordable for Ohioans.

The Buckeye Institute recently released How to Make Ohio Healthcare More Affordable: A Public Policy Guide less than two months before a new state Legislature begins a new session.

The report focuses on licensing, transparency, facility fees, artificial intelligence and competition in the health care industry.

“Employers across the country face the challenge of finding affordable healthcare plans that meet the needs of their employees,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., author of the report and the executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute.

Hederman offered nine policy and regulatory changes that Ohio, and other states, can use to make both health care and insurance plans more affordable.

Those nine include:

• Reform Medical Licensing Laws: Expand the pool of medical providers, such as certified registered nurse anesthetists, to reduce costs and increase access to care.

• Utilize Advanced-Practice Registered Nurses: Allow highly-trained APRNs, such as certified registered nurse anesthetists, to treat patients to fill gaps in health care and to free physicians to treat more patients.

• Reduce Facility Fees: Stop hospitals and health care systems from charging excessive fees to use their facilities and equipment.

• Promote Transparent Pricing: Require hospitals and health care providers to post all consumer prices, including costs for available treatments, equipment use, facility fees and other expenses.

• Improve Use of Artificial Intelligence: Use AI to perform data-related and diagnostic functions more efficiently than humans to reduce administrative costs and improve care.

• Prevent Medicaid Abuse: Medicaid fraud cost Ohio more than $1 billion. Reducing it will increase access to care for those eligible, protect taxpayers and incentivize work.

• Repeal Health Insurance Benefit Mandates: Eliminate mandates to increase flexibility for insurance providers to offer more and more affordable health insurance plans.

• Do Not Allow “Any Willing Provider” Requirements & Government Price-Setting: Eliminating these requirements will increase market competition and innovation, leading to lower drug and health care prices.

• Deter Anti-Competitive Healthcare Practices: Use regulatory oversight to encourage and ensure competitive plans, pricing and care.