Reform We Need

In a new poll by National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health, 71 percent of people surveyed felt Congress was paying too little attention to what average Americans think about health reform. On the heels of contentious town hall conversations with constituents and legislators this past summer, this is an interesting finding.

In the same poll, 51 percent of people felt interest groups played a constructive role in carrying out changes to our health care system and it was important to have them on board with the legislation. The survey also indicated drug makers were among the least trusted interest groups and some respondents went so far as to say drug makers were primarily to blame for the current problems facing health care.

The fact is no one group is responsible for the problems plaguing our system.  Ours is made up of many diverse organizations, some public, some private, some for-profit, and some non-profit, all of whom comprise a U.S. health care system that provides the most advanced medical care available in the world. But for the many Americans who are uninsured or underinsured, access to health care can be sporadic and inadequate. Improvements are needed in the quality and affordability of care for all Americans so our system can sustain itself over the long-term.

A key driver of health costs is poor management of chronic disease. Accounting for 75 percent of health care spending in this country, more than half of all Americans suffer from one or more chronic diseases, many of which are manageable and preventable. We can improve health outcomes and reduce the increase in overall health care costs if our system includes the appropriate incentives to:

·         encourage wellness and prevention

·         manage costly chronic diseases more efficiently, and

·         maintain strong incentives for continued medical innovation to meet costly unmet medical needs such as Alzheimer's disease

If you are part of the 71 percent who feels your voice isn't being heard in the health care reform debate, don't sit idle. Call your elected officials in Washington, D.C. and tell them you want comprehensive health care reform that focuses on prevention and management of chronic disease and encourages medical innovation. There is no better time to pick up the phone.