It is my understanding that one of the most cited justifications for passing healthcare reform was to lower costs. Specifically, the monthly cost for individuals who need to purchase their own health insurance plans.
It is impossible to have the increased preventative care come before patients' access to that care, just as it's impossible to detect illness when a patient cannot even be seen due to lack of insurance.
That was the reason I said I didn't expect a reduction in price in the short-term, because it simply doesn't make sense. That doesn't mean costs won't eventually go down compared to what they would have been if PPACA didn't go into effect, but that's getting beyond my ability to predict based just on simple principles.
To Save Money, Save the Health Care Act (Peter Orzag) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/opinion/04orszag.html?_r=3...;