Comments on: Baseball is here, but look to Massachusetts for some new hardball… http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/2010/04/baseball-is-here-but-look-to-massachusetts-for-some-new-hardball%e2%80%a6-2/ We Are Trailblazers in the World of Employee Benefits Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:13:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Bill http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/2010/04/baseball-is-here-but-look-to-massachusetts-for-some-new-hardball%e2%80%a6-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2212 Bill Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:36:48 +0000 http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/?p=528#comment-2212 Elaine- I'm sorry I missed this comment and it took me so long to respond. Please don't take our opposition to the Mass Reform law and the new federal reform law as support for the status quo. If you follow some of the history of earlier posts (<a href="http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/2009/08/first-the-golden-rule-of-health-reform/" rel="nofollow">here</a>, <a href="http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/2010/02/what-you-really-ewant-from-me/" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/2010/02/malnutrition-in-vietnam-the-solution-to-the-healthcare-cost-problem/" rel="nofollow">here</a> as examples), you can see that we are strongly in support of reform that reduces the cost of healthcare. Costs are up 131% over the past 10 years while wages are up only 38% and CPI 28%--clearly we have an enormous problem. But you know and I know (look at Mass.) that reform that expands coverage without addressing intrinsic costs is unsustainable and in fact it exacerbates the real problem. So while I respect and share your desire for substantive change, the laws that we have in Mass. and the new federal law have already made the cost problem worse not better. There is widespread attention in Mass. for payment reform--moving toward a form of global compensation for providers-and that has promise for reducing cost. But politics being what they are, I am afraid it will be some time before the issue gets addressed at it's core. In the meantime, the only card that can be played is Gov. Patrick's price controls, which are an artificial, knee-jerk, temporary band-aid that serves to make the problem worse not better. Our message has been consistent-focus first on cost control and then look to expand coverage. These plans do exactly the opposite and the result is easy to predict, and it isn't good for anyone. But the laws are in place now, so our focus has to shift to how to take advantage of the opportunities. Thats the subject of my next post. Elaine-

I’m sorry I missed this comment and it took me so long to respond.

Please don’t take our opposition to the Mass Reform law and the new federal reform law as support for the status quo. If you follow some of the history of earlier posts (here, here and here as examples), you can see that we are strongly in support of reform that reduces the cost of healthcare. Costs are up 131% over the past 10 years while wages are up only 38% and CPI 28%–clearly we have an enormous problem.

But you know and I know (look at Mass.) that reform that expands coverage without addressing intrinsic costs is unsustainable and in fact it exacerbates the real problem. So while I respect and share your desire for substantive change, the laws that we have in Mass. and the new federal law have already made the cost problem worse not better.

There is widespread attention in Mass. for payment reform–moving toward a form of global compensation for providers-and that has promise for reducing cost. But politics being what they are, I am afraid it will be some time before the issue gets addressed at it’s core. In the meantime, the only card that can be played is Gov. Patrick’s price controls, which are an artificial, knee-jerk, temporary band-aid that serves to make the problem worse not better.

Our message has been consistent-focus first on cost control and then look to expand coverage. These plans do exactly the opposite and the result is easy to predict, and it isn’t good for anyone. But the laws are in place now, so our focus has to shift to how to take advantage of the opportunities. Thats the subject of my next post.

]]> By: elaine http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/2010/04/baseball-is-here-but-look-to-massachusetts-for-some-new-hardball%e2%80%a6-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2060 elaine Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:11:07 +0000 http://www.ovationbenefits.com/blog/?p=528#comment-2060 Gee I'm so glad to hear that the people adminstrating my COBRA are so gung-ho to maintain the status quo. I've put 20 years working in medical device design, my employers were always very clear that we loved being in an industry posting 20% annual growth ... they never seemed to have the foresight to see that these were not rates of growth that can be maintained over the long term but they've done everything they could over that 20 years to lobby for rules that would keep it that way. Get with doing something to help or get out of the way. Gee I’m so glad to hear that the people adminstrating my COBRA
are so gung-ho to maintain the status quo.

I’ve put 20 years working in medical device design, my employers were always very clear that we loved being in an industry posting
20% annual growth … they never seemed to have the foresight to
see that these were not rates of growth that can be maintained
over the long term but they’ve done everything they could over
that 20 years to lobby for rules that would keep it that way.

Get with doing something to help or get out of the way.

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