Health Care Reform: Round 2

Jow Flower Health Care Blog ^ | pril 1, 2010 | Joe Flower

[M. Dodge Thomas]

The health care reform debate is only through the first round. In a few years, as early as 2013 or 2014, we are likely to see another round, with at least as much whacked-out drama as this one. But the cry will not be, “Bring back the good old days!” The cry will be, “These costs are killing us! Do something! Now!” This next round will be entirely focused on draconian cost-cutting.

The push for reform was about three things: Cost, quality, and access. Well, one out of three is not bad. The bill we got will eventually do a pretty good job on access, but it does little substantive or forceful about the other two. Quality is not a political issue with any grip; despite what we wonks and practitioners know, the public still doesn’t think that quality is a big problem. But cost? Big time...

What if the Republicans regain power? What if the Democrats lose their majority in the House or the Senate, or lose the White House? That is not really a problem for this scenario: The underlying forces are so great that whoever is in power will have to at least appear to be doing something about the cost of health care. The Republicans will frame it as fixing the mess the Democrats made...

[M. Dodge Thomas]

IMO Joe Flower is one of the smartest people writing about the future of health care in the US... in this article he looks beyond current politics to what likely to happen next as the debate moves from access to costs...