It may take 10 years or more to find out. Costs are expected first to go up, as tens of millions of previously uninsured Americans get coverage and start going for checkups, mammograms and MRIs. Over time, if the plan works, health care inflation would slow. With the magic of compounding, shaving even 1 or 2 percentage points a year from rising spending rates would translate into big savings across the economy.The New York Times reports that President Obama remains committed to taxing costly health insurance policies, but says he is also willing to amend the proposal to ease its effect on working families.
The Wall Street Journal's Alicia Mundy writes that annual mammograms, "seemingly on their way out under new federal guidelines last year, may be coming back."
Insurance and Financial Advisor, citing a Coalition Against Insurance Fraud survey, says that "the number of insurance agents involved in suspected frauds has risen" during the recession.
