Healthcare "Reform"

So, the AMA (American Medical Association) has endorsed the current House bill involving health care reform, including a government-run health care option. As recently as several weeks ago, this was considered, if not highly improbable, at least not a safe bet. So, where did the sudden reversal come from? President Obama met with them at an AMA conference and apparently in one speech garnered enough good will to get a public endorsement of his healthcare plan. (If you have an hour, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG3IJazP5gk)

Pretty impressive. Whether you like him or not, he's a marvel at spending political capital.

This whole debate is fascinating to me, as I'm sure the next electoral cycle will be. Republicans are going for broke, betting against nearly every piece of legislation that comes up. Democrats are, well, spending till we're broke hoping that they can pass enough legislation to fix America's ills within a six-month time frame. I anticipate a very familiar finger-pointing based party line political fight come the mid-term election cycle. I don't know that either side has set themselves up well. I predict the general state of the economy come election-eve will be the deciding factor.

I digress, back to healthcare.....

A Potential Winner - residents of smaller and rural areas that currently have very few private insurance options available, individually or as a part of an employer's group plan. These folks will have greater options and access to coverage that is likely to be less expensive because of the market forces that spread risk over a greater pool of lives.

A Potential Loser - private insurers. The reason they are fighting a government plan is because they will lose participants to a public health care option. Greater competition will likely drive costs down, stripping additional profits from these companies.

And what about those who choose not to cover themselves who may be forced into picking up a public health care plan? That's the biggest question on my conscience. Should people be forced into health care plans? The easy answer is no. But, they do seek services when emergencies and illness happen, ultimately leaving the taxpayers to pick up most, if not all, of their bill. So, shouldn't they have to have some "skin" in the game to begin with?

Right & Wrong - I can't tell you that. There are wonderful arguments on both sides of the debate. What I do know is that the status quo hasn't worked for a long time. Private insurers can cry all they want, and a new system will likely be far from perfect, but some form of change needs to happen. And sometimes, any change can be good because it will force more decisions down the road to refine and reflect on what is working and what is not. The more I read and research, it looks like some form of reform is bound to be enacted this year. The momentum is there.

ZW

http://www.azmobilehr.com/