Care for dual eligibles increasingly will rely on new technologies.

An initiative to monitor for-profit nursing home chains and another to increase implementation of electronic health records in nursing homes were both included under the Affordable Care Act. But given the current federal deficit debate, these and other healthcare proposals might remain unfunded, officials say.
 
Bruce Vladeck, a former Medicare administrator and healthcare consultant, told Kaiser Health News that even though Congress passed the Obama Administration’s healthcare reform law, some programs might be doomed. Vladeck told Kaiser that the budgetary environment in Congress has changed drastically since the law was passed. And political disputes between Democrats and Republicans complicate the picture even more.
 
The ACA includes other high-profile proposals that could be dead in the water, including a $50 million program that would help states experiment with new ways to fix malpractice disputes, much to the consternation of American Medical Association. A $24 million experimental program to improve emergency care services remains at risk, and a $50 million program to open health clinics run by nurse practitioners has received only $15 million.