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From the Publisher: Refocusing the health care debate |
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Written On: May/June 2007 |
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Written By: Don C. Brunell, AWB President |
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This is the third issue of Washington Business devoted to health care. It’s a subject near and dear to everyone’s heart because we all want the best health care at the lowest costs.
Too often, the political debate focuses on what’s wrong with our current health care system rather than what is working. Tear it apart and come up with a newer and better way, many politicians say.
When it comes to health care, there are no magic solutions. Today, Americans are accustomed to logging on to the Internet to find an instant answer. It’s like the overnight miracle diet we yearn for to make us thin, trim and as healthy as an 18-year-old star athlete.
There are no walk-off home runs
Over the years, our state has been a crucible for numerous health care experiments. We loved it when John Naisbitt called Washington a "bellwether" state in his 1982 best seller, Megatrends. We want to be in the forefront, but as all good leaders know, there is a time to lead and a time to follow.
Today, our legislators are tinkering with an idea modeled after The Connector, a new health insurance scheme for residents of Massachusetts that forces people to buy coverage. Clearly, this is the time for Washington to get out of the driver’s seat and watch our sister state on the east coast. Let that state’s taxpayers test The Connector with their money, not ours.
Some look to Canada as the model. In the 1980s, Gov. Booth Gardner was enamored with a single-payer, government-run health care system just like they have in British Columbia. However, when hordes of Canadians began crossing the border seeking medical treatment in the United States—telling of long waiting lines at hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices; persistent strikes by physicians, nurses and health workers; and the high taxes collected to pay for it all—Gardner lost interest.
If the government can’t pay for health care, then why not make employers responsible? In 1993, Gov. Mike Lowry pushed that concept through the Legislature. It was to be the model for Hillary Clinton’s national health care system. All employers were to provide a uniform health care plan for their workers, but the unions balked and exempted themselves from the reforms. Then Congress said no to a federal waiver from ERISA and the scheme came unraveled.
This year, the focus is on making individuals buy health insurance. As in The Connector, the state would broker health plans for its citizens. But after a year with The Connector, Massachusetts is beset by problems. The cost of the state bureaucracy required to administer The Connector is staggering, and the price of the insurance—now pegged at $380 per person per month—has forced delays in implementation.
Slow down and fix what needs fixing
What we need to focus on is slowing down, fixing what needs fixing and building on what is working. That is what will make Washington a bellwether state.
To this end, the Association of Washington Business has launched a new Web site called TheyWork.net, which focuses on creative health care solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
For example, association health plans—authorized by Gov. Lowry and the 1995 Legislature for very small businesses—now cover about a 500,000 people in Washington. These plans provide affordable, flexible coverage for individuals, families and employers. The first thing we should do is to build on the success of association health plans because they represent a proven model that works.
Secondly, we need to streamline our medical records system. The American Electronics Association estimates that by investing $7.7 billion nationwide in electronic medical records, we could reduce prescription errors, enhance efficiency, and improve management of chronic diseases, saving a whopping $81 billion a year.
Third, lawmakers should encourage private sector efforts to eliminate medical errors that not only kill people and injure patients, but are very costly to resolve in court.
Finally, lawmakers should look for ways to help people take responsibility for their own health care. According to a recent study by Braden Benefit Strategies, half of the health insurance claims filed in this country are for preventable problems caused by lifestyle choices. The top three health risks are obesity, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle.
Lawmakers can’t force people to quit smoking, eat healthier foods, or exercise more, but they can support health plans that reward responsible behavior with lower premiums.
Rather than trying to find that one magic solution, our elected officials need to look for ways to make incremental improvements and build on what’s working.
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