Lynn Shapiro Snyder and Mark Armstrong, attorneys in the Firm's Health Care And Life Sciences Practice, were quoted in the Houston Business Journal in an article concerning the likely results of federal health care reform at both the national and local levels.
The article, "Houston Experts Examine Health Care Reform," noted that Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall hosted a forum entited "Play It Forward: Anticipating the Challenges, Changes and Opportunities of Federal Health Care Reform." The forum was moderated by Lynn Shapiro Snyder, a senior member of Epstein Becker Green in Washington, D.C. Mark Armstrong, a Member of the Firm at Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall, in Houston, was also a participant.
Snyder noted that health care reform "is a process and not an endpoint," and added: "There will be continuous implementation and amendments to achieve health reform bills and the legislation will be refined going forward. Nevertheless, as a result of health care reform, more people will have access to health insurance coverage and providers and payers will have to be efficient in providing health care services."
Remarking on what makes Houston unique in terms of health care coverage, Armstrong said: "After health care reform, there will still be uninsured patients, and the number of uninsured people in Houston could surpass the national average. If reimbursements are decreased based upon an assumption of people having coverage, then providers could be negatively impacted."
He also expects there will be challenges in implementing the proposed reform in Houston, "including enrolling individuals for health care benefits and an increasing demand for primary care services, which places an even greater burden on existing capacity."