By Evan Falchuk
At last week’s NBGH conference, I am told Senator Max Baucus made an interesting observation. He said that America is not Germany or the UK or Canada, and so whatever kind of reform we create here must be “uniquely American.” It’s an obvious point, but it highlights something important:
What does it mean to have a uniquely “American” healthcare system, and uniquely “American” healthcare reform?
Americans are enormously individualistic and our attitudes about healthcare reflect that. We want healthcare to be more accessible, but we recoil at ideas of massive new spending or increased government involvement in our healthcare decisions. We think our system is uncoordinated, expensive and in need of reform, but that our own coverage is just fine, thank you. Americans are also tremendously creative, and when faced with a problem try to tackle it with an entrepreneurial zeal. Indeed, the CBO recently summarized more than 100 reform proposals, and the President’s (awkwardly-named) Forum on Healthcare Reform brought together dozens of leaders and the work of thousands of reform advocates. (more…)
