With the health reform law adopted, the questions begin

From the Rockefeller Institute of Government [info@rockinst.org]

Congress may have concluded its long journey to pass health reform legislation, but questions about the law's implementation are only just beginning. Two Institute experts offer commentary about some of the issues that New York and the nation now face.
A key feature of the newly enacted law is expansion of Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor. Courtney Burke, director of the Institute's Health Policy Research Center, points out that New York already spends more than any other state on Medicaid — a total of $51 billion under Governor David Paterson's proposed budget. But much needs to be done to ensure that New York gets the best value — and health care — for its dollar, she says in a commentary now on the Institute's Web site. Burke also contributed to the March 25 Huffington Post blog, with her thoughts on the ingredients needed for effective implementation of the new law at the state level.
Deputy Director Robert B. Ward, who heads the Institute's research on state and local finances, writes in a separate commentary that the new law presents all sorts of questions whose answers may not be revealed for years. Among them: How much will the expanded coverage provided by the new law ultimately cost federal, state and local governments? His observations are also available on the Institute's Web site.