My neighbor, Bill Werner, MD, MPH, authored this article for my church’s monthly newsletter. I am copying it verbatim with his permission, as follows:
Soon after the Supreme Court issued its decision that the majority of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 was constitutional, I attended a debate by two legal scholars on the merits of the ruling. A law school dean presented the pro position while one of the lead lawyers who challenged the law discussed the con concerns. A very high-level legal discussion ensued followed by several follow-up questions from the audience. What I found disturbing was the fact that I did not hear the words health care, patients, or physicians mentioned once during the discussion.
I’m afraid that the national debate on the health care legislation has lost sight of the real purpose of reform – expanding access to affordable, quality health care for more people. We spend more of our resources on health care than any other country, and yet, millions of Americans are without insurance.
I think it would be more productive to reframe the debate in terms of the long-term goals of health care reform:
Expand health insurance coverage to all qualified people;
Reduce overall costs;
Improve patient health outcomes and safety, and
Improve the overall health of the American people.Now the question becomes how do we, as a nation, achieve these goals? PPACA attempts to expand coverage through a combination of a public programs (sic), Medicaid, and a private insurance by state-run Health Insurance Exchanges along with some tax subsidies for people unable to afford insurance premiums. Cost would be reduced by implementing more cost-effective delivery models, such as Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that are financially incentiviized to deliver quality care and reduced use of resources, i.e., money.
Specific concerns for Illinois are:
Can we afford to take on a more expansive Medicaid program when we cannot pay for the current one?
Do our state legislators have the political ability to agree on a health insurance exchange by the deadline later this fall?One thing seems certain: the November elections will be a national referendum on health care reform and the PPACA. One challenge as Christians is to align reforms with our values and beliefs.
– Dr. Bill Werner, Mark Erickson
