Ford Museum Health Care Presentation 4-11-12
Highly Informative
Last night I attended the Ford Museum presentation Health Care: What We Want, What We Need & What We Can Afford. The presenters, who expressed “opposing” views, and the moderator, were all very knowledgeable well credentialed people. The program was very interesting and informative, as you would expect. Of course it centered on the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act) and associated Supreme Court legal process. As background they discussed the history of how we got to this point; a long torturous route. Each side quoted surveys and analysis that supported their point of view.
Ever the less, it was of value to hear both sides presenting their case with more than just sound bites. I of course believe the presenter that supported my views had the most valid arguments. However, the other presenter did get me thinking about some of the other side’s position. So that is a good thing.
The Audience
But perhaps the most interesting part of the program resulted from the audience questions and the related responses. If I could sum up what I thought I heard was that folks want the issue of health care cost and services to be fixed. One presenter said surveys showed that most individual elements of PPACA are very popular and will likely be more respected once we get to 2014 when most elements “kick in”. This assumes it will still be constitutional. But the general impression is this is not good for the country as it stands. However, they feel that the real culprits in this process are the politicians. They have done a lousy job, special interests seem to be first consideration, and they are playing political games, rather than really trying to solve the problem.
But perhaps the most interesting part of the program resulted from the audience questions and the related responses. If I could sum up what I thought I heard was that folks want the issue of health care cost and services to be fixed. One presenter said surveys showed that most individual elements of PPACA are very popular and will likely be more respected once we get to 2014 when most elements “kick in”. This assumes it will still be constitutional. But the general impression is this is not good for the country as it stands. However, they feel that the real culprits in this process are the politicians. They have done a lousy job, special interests seem to be first consideration, and they are playing political games, rather than really trying to solve the problem.
The Take Away
Each fix to the health care situation adds another layer of complexity, because we are not good at the issue of transition and we have the wrong priorities. The fix should be patients first, cost management second, institutions last and war after health. Applauds from the audience seem to support this strategy.
Each fix to the health care situation adds another layer of complexity, because we are not good at the issue of transition and we have the wrong priorities. The fix should be patients first, cost management second, institutions last and war after health. Applauds from the audience seem to support this strategy.
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