Healthcare experts favor reform

NEW YORK, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Despite mixed reviews by the general public, nine of 10 leaders in U.S. health policy say healthcare reform sets the right course, a survey indicates.

A Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey indicates 68 percent of healthcare experts favor implementing the Affordable Care Act with little or no change.

Commonwealth Fund researchers Kristof Stremikis, Stuart Guterman and Karen Davis say only 9 percent say the law sets the wrong course for the nation, and none of the experts says the current health system requires no major changes.

The survey also indicates:

-- 86 percent say it is important or very important to implement state-based health insurance exchanges.

-- 84 percent favor the individual buying healthcare insurance.

-- 82 percent favor the expansion of Medicaid to cover more lower-income individuals.

-- 83 percent favor developing and implementing new payment and delivery system approaches.

-- 79 percent favor the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to develop best practices in healthcare delivery and organization.

-- 71 percent favor the Independent Payment Advisory Board to help reduce the growth of Medicare spending.

"While health reform very much remains a work in progress, it is heartening to see broad support among healthcare leaders for the direction laid out in the Affordable Care Act," Karen Davis, Commonwealth Fund president, says in a statement.