According to Joseph Flower who writes in The Health Care Blog this weekend, Health Reform is not the Change, but rather The Catalyst, and according to him, “The enabler, and an accelerator of the change we are going through. It is not the change itself, and is not even the cause of it, because the change is driven by much larger economic and demographic factors, especially by the crushing cost of healthcare. If the reform law were to go away, the change would not go away.”
I agree with Joe. Many readers ask me if I am for or against health reform. My short answer is ‘yes’, to both. Anyone who is vested in the present system, i.e., physicians, hospitals, health plans, pharma, payers, etc. exist with a certain level of ‘tension’ with their partners and ungarners. The tension with present system for most systems is near a breaking point. The question all are asking ‘Will this get better with a change, stay the same, or get much worse.
No doubt there will be ‘pain’ with reforms. Change seems to be difficult for most, however the human condition and potential for change is enormous with adaptability and acclimatization to seemingly impossible challenges, physically, intellectually and emotionally. Let’s face it, Health Reform involves all of it. Fortunately our DNA was designed for changes to occur.