WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s budget proposal relies on the evidence when it comes to healthcare reform, using research done by government and other groups on the best ways to change the system and save money. It pulls heavily from reports by the Commonwealth Fund, Institute of Medicine and others that show extending health insurance coverage to more people will save money by preventing illness or catching diseases early, before they become expensive. About 46 million Americans have no health insurance. The nonprofit Commonwealth Fund has also published studies showing that moving from paper medical records and prescribing to electronic technology can save money. Health information technology is a cornerstone of the Obama healthcare reform plan. Studies show the reduction of errors caused by poor communication and scribbled prescription mistakes can save billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives every year, and Obama is gambling those savings will help the federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs. The budget also includes a controversial $1.1 billion measure for the federal government to get into the business of comparing medical treatments head to head. Government-supported studies have shown that older diabetes drugs such as […]