Health "Reform?" Not sure, but a step in the right direction

In the past week it has been hard not to notice all of the talk about the health "reform" legislation passed into law. As much as I prefer not to talk politics, many have asked me my thoughts on this reform legislation and its impact on healthcare as we know it. While I am by no means an expert on the 2,400 plus page bill and its 153 pages of changes, to sum it up simply, I would have to say its a step in the right direction.

Our current healthcare system is not sustainable for the long-term. There are over 47 million American's who are uninsured and with rising costs of labor, technology, pharmaceuticals, supplies and insurance premiums, healthcare will bankrupt our country if we don't do something about it. The New York Times reported that if we did nothing to change healthcare, by 2020 a family health insurance premium would be $24,000 or roughly a quarter of what the average American family is expected to earn at that time. Clearly, this is not something that can be sustained, but it is also not an easy issue to fix.

Everything in healthcare is very intertwined which makes any effort at true reform very elusive. While it was tried, you cannot separate the insurance companies, hospitals, physicians, lawyers, technology and device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and expect to come up with a comprehensive solution that will address the out-of-control spending that exists within our current system. Nor can you ignore the entitlement mentality that we have as a nation and neglect to address issues related to beginning and end of life care, preventive care and wellness, rampant obesity and nutrition issues, and smoking and hope that healthcare utilization will decrease. Couple all of this with the fact that our government does not partake in strategic planning, but rather short term partisan politics that are tied to a four-year election cycle and it becomes very easy to understand why "reforming" healthcare is such a daunting effort. So while the legislation that was passed may not be "reform" in the truest sense it will likely spur the discussions that need to begin happening in order for real reform to ultimately take place.

While certainly a deeply contested issue between the parties, I believe that this legislation has done a number of positive things that will begin moving the conversation of health reform in the right direction. Conversations about topics including:

• By covering an additional 32 million people we are beginning to put in place a system to match the entitlement mentality that our nation has around healthcare being a fundamental right of all citizens.
  
• By increasing taxes and requiring all citizens to purchase insurance we are promoting the concept of personal responsibility and the realization that all entitlements do come with a cost that must be ultimately be paid for by someone.
  
• By creating a healthcare exchange and eliminating the ability to disqualify based upon pre-existing conditions and removing lifetime caps we are allowing insurance companies to prove they are a real partner in healthcare and not merely a profiteer from it.
• By reducing payments to hospitals we will find new ways to partner with physicians, suppliers and insurers in efforts to better coordinate the care we deliver in a more efficient and cost-conscious manner.
  

There are many other topics that will undoubtedly come from this passage of legislation that will have some perceived positives and negatives for all involved. For the people of America, I think we have done something that will positively benefit the welfare of our nation. For healthcare, I think that our time has come to show our innovation and adaptability to ensure that we continue to provide a high quality product at a more affordable price. This will require us all to work together in ways that have previously eluded us. As they say, nothing worth doing is easy, but we needed to get something done. I for one look forward to the challenge!

Health "Reform?" Not sure, but a step in the right direction