   | | Health Care Reform |  | | Story of the Week | September 03, 2008 | | Commonwealth survey says chances for true reform are good | By Mike Magee, MD When it comes to reforming the U.S. healthcare system, we have a history of all talk, no action. Mostly, patients have been ambivalent about change, while many health care professionals have opposed it because they see the risks (including those to their pocketbooks) far exceeding the benefits.
Will it be any different this time around? Both presidential candidates say it will. So does this summer's Commonwealth Survey on the subject. According to Commonwealth’s president, Karen Davis, Commonwealth polled 1,004 U.S. adults in May, 2008. Thirty two percent said the whole system needed complete rebuilding, while one half thought it required fundamental change.
Cost is certainly a factor, with health premiums up 100 percent in the past decade. And people are also concerned about recent drops in the numbers of employers providing health benefits, and in the quality of the coverage they provide.
Beyond that, people are concerned about the system itself - the rushing, the crowding, the unevenness, the antiquated information systems, the complexity and associated safety lapses and injuries, the workforce shortages, and the absence of a comprehensive vision that would allow Americans to reach for their full human potential as productive and compassionate citizens.
If we are able to achieve meaningful reform during the next Administration, it will be because we have embraced a meaningful opportunity to surpass -- rather than mimic -- another health system, such as Canada’s. It will be because we have appreciated the unique opportunity presented by the intersection of aging demographics, multi-generational family complexity, health consumer empowerment and engagement, and information technology advantages that allow us to re-center and reconnect our system with great efficiency, equity, safety, and quality.
Will it happen this time? Depends on the strength of the vision, which depends on the quality of the leadership. "Yes, but..." is our history. "Yes, and..." is our future.
For more details, please watch this week’s video, embedded with this blog post, or read the full transcript, below. Then leave a comment expressing your feelings about health care reform. Do you think we can get it done? Why or why not?
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|  I think we should have health care paid for by the government for everyone. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but a socialized medical system like Canada has."  Hard for the insured, too  Keep health care private!  Work to stay healthy  Testing is important  Please keep it affordable  Everybody deserves a chance  | Dr. Tom Linden's Health Blog | | |  Without the Wilderness, There Can Be No Wilderness Medicine Don't go to the Hospital Without these Ten Safety Tips Ain’t Nobody’s Fault But Mine Can Health Plans Explain Why They Aren't Re-Empowering Primary Care? Post-Election Healthcare Reform Yearning for Universal Coverage Is Not Universal Is America's Health Care System Failing? Probiotics: Hope or Hype? |
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