And lookie there! This morning The Kalamazoo Gazette has published a "featured viewpoint" on their editorial page called "Simplify the health insurance paperwork: Patients have already waited long enough", giving a high five to the Senators as well, and shedding a little more light on the real need for this reform.

Insurance companies use paperwork called "prior authorization forms" to determine whether or not a drug being prescribed by your physician will be covered under your health plan. While most prior authorization forms ask for nearly identical information, more than 150 different insurance plans operating in Michigan each use their own unique forms, and not all of them can be submitted electronically.

Practically speaking, that means physicians and their staffs are forced to sort through more than 1,000 pages of redundant forms and juggle numerous submission methods and requirements. The forms create a significant administrative and bureaucratic burden that delays the quality of patient care and limits the amount of time physicians and their staffs can spend directly with patients, addressing their health needs.

And this redundant paperwork includes forms for drugs covered under Medicare plans.  How often does the government actually introduce a law that STREAMLINES regulation and the hoops someone has to jump through to do their job?

This legislation does.  Makes it worth the effort if only for the novelty factor alone.