Healthcare Reform – Today, Tomorrow and the Years Ahead

March 22, 2010 | Posted by: Laura Feinberg

Today, after more than a year of debate, the Healthcare Reform Bill will go to President Obama to be signed into law.  The past year has been a fascinating time to work with healthcare companies, and the next several years promise to be just as interesting.

Arguably, the most interesting part of the debate has been the widespread interest people have developed in healthcare.  Years ago, one would have to dig around to the health section of a newspaper to find a quality healthcare story.  Recently, “healthcare” has saturated the news – from almost every imaginable angle.  Healthcare articles regularly appear in the business, local news and political sections of every paper – and often occupy prime “real estate” on the front page.  If a radio or broadcast news program is on for an hour, at least one healthcare segment – or an advertisement – is likely to air.  In addition, the blogosphere covers it from almost every angle imaginable.

And what will the impact of public debate be on individuals?  I have worked on several empowerment campaigns to help people become involved in managing their own healthcare.  We have created tools to get people engaged, presented helpful tips on diet and exercise, offered and guidance to help people talk with their physicians.  While those programs made an impact, this public debate seems to have brought about more engagement and activity than all of the campaigns combined!

Over the past year, people have participated in town halls, written to their Congress members, commented on blogs and argued passionately with friends and colleagues about what this legislation should look like.  The Healthcare Reform Bill is projected to extend insurance coverage to roughly 32 million additional Americans.  Will these newly insured Americans expect more out of their healthcare?  By 2013, most Americans will be required to have health insurance or pay a fine – we will bear that responsibility.  It is clear that Americans care about their health, but will we be able to look beyond passage of this legislation to identify all that we can do to care for our health?

In addition to Healthcare Reform debate, last year also marked another initiative intended to improve the healthcare for Americans.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included $20 Billion for the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.  The focus of this Act is to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT and provide use of an electronic health record by every U.S. citizen by the year 2014.  Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology indicates, “All states are now empowered to start their journey towards identifying innovative ways to break down barriers that prevent the seamless exchange of information, so that we can give patients the access to care they deserve and expect.”

Patients and consumers are demanding access to affordable healthcare, fielding discussion and new initiatives intended to improve our nation’s health.  The passage of Healthcare Reform will be a significant shake-up and every corner of the industry will be impacted.  In fact, everyone in the U.S. holds a stake in it and we will all feel the change in the coming years.  I look forward to seeing if Americans will convert their interest, commitment and passion around healthcare legislation to the care of their health and that of their families.