The unclogging has started…The bi-partisan Senate Finance bill released early Friday should trigger movement down the path to votes on health reform in both chambers, but the work is far from complete. The New York Times today has a good summary of where we stand:
The policy challenges are also daunting. In the space of one year, the Democrats are trying to restructure one-sixth of the economy, writing a bill that will affect almost every American, every business and every doctor and hospital in the country.
As I wrote earlier this week, there is still a single major war to be fought (the government run “Public option”) and many, many smaller battles, including:
- How to pay for provisions
- Design of meaningful cost control measures
- The Individual Mandate
- Medicare cuts/Medicare restructuring
- Pay or play for employers
- Comparative Effectiveness Research (best practices)
- Mandated minimum federal benefit levels
- Electronic Medical Records
…just to name a few…we’re moving, but very, very far to go.
About Bill Carew
Bill Carew is President & Chief Executive Officer responsible for the strategic, operational and financial performance of the company. With more than 24 years of experience in the industry, Bill is a recognized authority on health and employee benefits strategy, financing, and insurance underwriting, and is a leading advocate for the incorporation of wellness and health improvement strategies in the workforce. He has held management, consulting and sales positions in various markets around the country with Metropolitan Life, CIGNA Healthcare, and the former Johnson and Higgins (now Marsh) companies. In 1992, he co-founded Carew, Driscoll & Associates, Inc. and in 2002 merged the firm with BENEFITSource to form Ovation Benefits Group.
