Insights · January 20th, 2010
The standard chorus today, following a win by Senator Elect Brown in Massachusetts, is that health care reform is either dead, or must be substantially revised to be passed into law.
I don’t know that it is dead, but it is on life support.
Somehow, in the very long process of developing the current legislation, the simple messages of improving access, covering everyone, and controlling costs, got lost.
Now, what is the way forward if you think that for the U.S. to be #1 in the world in health care spending but #37 in quality, with tens of millions uncovered, is not a good thing?
I think, and admit I missed this early on, that the simple solution would be best. This might be a piece-meal approach, or even better it could be this from Ezra Klein at the Washington Post:
“Medicare buy-in between 50 and 65. Medicaid expands up to 200 percent of poverty with the federal government funding the whole of the expansion. Revenue comes from a surtax on the wealthy.
And that’s it. No cost controls. No delivery-system reforms. Nothing that makes the bill long or complex or unfamiliar…â€
Not likely to happen, but it would be a wise option.
Glen Hiemstra is a futurist speaker, author, consultant, blogger, internet video host and Founder of Futurist.com. To arrange for a speech contact Futurist.com.
