Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

Information on Quality

One of the chief aims of the health insurance law is improved quality at every level.  Because of the new law, health insurance companies will be required to offer comprehensive care and can no longer cap coverage at annual or lifetime basis.  Insurance companies will not be allowed to cancel an insurance policy simply because an individual gets sick, also known as "rescissions."

To improve the quality of care given to patients, medical professionals treating Medicare patients will no longer be paid for the amount of care they give.  Rather, they will be paid in a lump sum to treat patients or keep them healthy.  In this way, high quality, efficient providers share the financial benefit and will do better, while low-quality, inefficient providers will not.  Experts say this action will drive our health care system toward higher quality, more efficiency, and lower costs both to the federal government and Medicare beneficiaries.  Over time, it also will lower costs in the private sector as these reforms are adopted there.

The new law also sets up a national quality strategy and a dynamic innovation center to allow quality research to quickly become adopted throughout our healthcare system.  Finally, it also includes a new institute that will provide patients and their provider's unbiased information comparing different drugs, medical devices, and other medical interventions to ensure the best, most independent information is available to make medical decisions. 

• Reforming the Health Care Delivery System
• Improving the Quality of Care for All Americans

Information On:

• Cost Containment and the Budget
• High-Risk Pools
• New Mexico-Specific Effects
• Prevention
• Quality