As a new blogger… I have started following a number of healthcare blogs. One I find interesting is Action for Better Healthcare. The December 3rd posting asks if it is reasonable to fix the issues with the bill after the election… the argument being offered by those in the house supporting the reform bill. I would say, at a minimum, it is a very risky strategy for such a large percentage of our economy.
We inside healthcare are not mistaken when it comes to the social and operational complexity of our sector so I am not surprised at the rush to get the healthcare bill passed given the political reality of house elections next year. After all if the real issues are debated… the bill will, at a minimum, stall and most likely will fail. I am surprised, however, that even the basic realities of supply and demand are not being argued by those in our country, both inside and outside healthcare, who understand the fundamentals of economics.
Dramatically increased demand without mitigation for the resulting supply needs is a recipe for difficulty. At the end of the day things are usually never as bad nor as good as politicians purport. I would gamble that if the healthcare reform bill passes, the ensuing entropic decline of service availability and quality will ultimately kill the specific reform strategies of the bill. Remediation of the bill’s policies will be needed for the survival of the system in some recognizable form and the politicians will thrash through amending it. If it does not pass, the issue of the overall cost of medical care will have been sufficiently highlighted and will draw increased and needed scrutiny of the operational efficiency of care delivery.
Either way, we are facing an accelerated period of change. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy." (Ernest Benn)
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Alyn,
ReplyDeleteOne of my frustrations of the Health Finance Reform is that it is being driven by people not in healthcare. You would think if we were going to reform NASA, then it would be obvious that any of us who are not Rocket Scientists would not be disqualified.
The only Congressmen and Senators in Washington who have a clue are actually Physicians. They ALL appose it.
I do think that our Congressmen’s hearts are in the right place to try to help those who don’t have insurance. However, I think they are just wrong headed and have developed a Cure that is WORST than the Disease!
Rick Jackson
Rick, interesting thought... How would the public react if they went to an emergency department and were greeted by auto mechanics when they were wheeled in for treatment...?
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