On Tour Now: The Balancing Act at the Center of Healthcare Reform (Time)

One of the most important questions the president’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act asks us to answer is “What essential services must all insurance plans cover?” The Department of Health and Human Services held the first of 10 “listening sessions” on the issue on Friday in Chicago, and subsequent sessions were held earlier this week in Boston and Philadelphia.

Answering this question correctly is critical because it’s the only chance that health care reform has to really do what it says its going to do. Writer Maggie Mahr argues that we can provide adequate, affordable coverage for all Americans, so long as we practice evidence-based medicine, and fund only those health care intiatives that are needed and effective.