The recent debate over expanding federal subsidies to lower commercial health insurance premiums is a symptom of the inability of insurers and regulators to control the underlying cost of health care services. One source of unnecessary and avoidable costs in the US health care system is the use of two different coding systems for reporting health care procedures.
In a joint op-ed, CAHC’s Joel White calls for Congress to enact legislation requiring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to evaluate transitioning to a single, modern procedure coding system to eliminate excess costs and lower health care insurance premiums.