Healthcare Reform: Back to the Future
During this past Memorial Day week, I embarked on a “road trip” with my eldest children to Washington, DC covering six states and 1,200 miles as my daughter begins an internship in the United States Senate this week.
It brought back memories of when I was a White House internback in 1980 and it seems alot has changed since then, but much has remained the same. As we walked from Capitol Hill to the White House I recollected how in the “good old days” when Pennsylvania Avenue was a street I could drive my car in front of The White House between Layfayette Park and I would park my car everyday between The Treasury Bulding the the East Wing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Now, only foot traffic is acceptable due to security concerns of the executive office and President’s home.
Besides the increase in national security around the city and soaring gas prices, alot hasn’t changed in my birthplace of Washington, DC. The momuments are the same, Senator Robert Bryd (D-WV) is still in Senate and healthcare “reform” has been a campaign issues for the past 28 years with little change. As my daughter begins her US Senate internship, she no doubt will hear many of the same protests, arguments, complaints, support and crys to reform for our current healthcare system I heard a generation before.
Politics dominates DC and the status quo is the norm, however, one possible pathway for change is by creating healthcare “think tanks” or “forums” to transform the current healthcare system based on our core American values with individualism and diversity as center pieces.
Two decades ago, I served as director of a healthcare “think tank” based in Washington, DC. Its primary mission was to bring together some of the brightest minds inside and outside of the healthcare sector to “think outside the box” as potential health reform was taking place and the need for changes in healthcare was a public cry.
The “TLC” or Trend Leaders Club recruited only healthcare chief executive officers (I know there are those that would question this approach and challenge this group’s intellectual exclusivity) across the nation. Each quarter this club would gather to hear from leading business, government and healthcare innovators, researchers and academics. Such notable speaker participants included Universal’s founder Alan Miller www.ushinc.com, The Johns Hopkins University’s Dr. Susan Horn www.isisicor.com/Shorn_biosketch.html and ”Mr. Health” Paul Rogers among many others.
I am not sure how much if any impact the TLC had on healthcare directly or indirectly in impacting policy or individual health organizations. But I do know that the concept of bringing together very smart people and others impacted by our healthcare system to understand how to positively transform a nearly $3 trillion industry was a noble idea then and is today. The question becomes what are the major forces involved and how do we address cost, care delivery, quality care, medical advances, consumerism, funding, diverse labor force with decreasing long term single employer “life time” employment, aging Baby Boomers, etc.
I am coming to believe that the ultimate solution will be created from mirroring our core values as a country that places a large emphasis on the “individual” versus the collective group approach, this despite the current massive structure framework of our healthcare “system” which has been operational for the past 40+ years.
My colleague Robert Fisher, MD is founder of the Future of Healthcare Forums Network and has developed a platform to facilitate discussions, debate and solutions for healthcare’s future. I am optimistic about its impact given its mission:
Future of Healthcare Forums Network. FOHCF is an organization devoted to creating vibrant discussions among senior leaders in healthcare, business and other creative thinkers. The purpose of FOHCF is to create scenarios for new approaches for change and implementation in healthcare leading to a better healthcare future. The network’s methodology is a unique tool of inquiry. It is focussed on Prevention and Distribution of resources and Access to healthcare. It is founded on the basis of a Medical Democracy, diverse voices creating a more promising future in healthcare.
As the national Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, GreenPresidential campaigns gear up for a general election, healthcare should be a top issue to be discussed, addressed and ultimately creative solutions implemented over the next few years after the political elections are completed. Back in 1980, only 8% of the US GDP was spent on healthcare, now it is 16% with predictions as high as 25% in th enext few years. Healthcare “crisis” must be resolved or the 16% GDP spent of healthcare expenditures will more than likely pale in comparison to cost of serving the 77 million baby boomers as we march towards retirement every 8 seconds beginning in 2011 and consume greater healthcare resources before the next Presidential election cycle. My hope is my 20 year old daughter can look back at her Capitol Hill internship in 28 years and be proud of the accomplishments achieve in healthcare policy during her generations watch and action.
Take Care,
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Mike, great post, I didn’t know you were from DC? =)
What about drug pricing? why do we have to pay more for drugs than any developed country out there, like canada? Can’t the government do anything to reduce the price of pharmaceuticals in the USA?