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Yes We Should (Fix Healthcare)
by Sam Gruenbaum, President
of BENETEMPS
and HR Placement Group
What an interesting time to be a Human
Resources professional. We are all watching unprecedented changes in
companies, work place attitudes, our nation’s demographics and the
impact of technology, to mention just a few areas. Yet, there are still
voices in this country who do not believe that a fundamental change in
our approach to our providing health care is required.
Surveys abound that indicate that we spend more, have fewer positive
outcomes and do not match the life-expectancy statistics of many smaller
and poorer societies. A
must read article in the New Yorker recently looked into health care
expense and results and while the conclusion is not surprising, it
certainly does provide some new information in great detail: spending
more and doing more does not in any way ensure a better outcome for the
patient.
We are all paying the price. When I started my career in benefit design
and administration in the mid 1970’s, it was rare for employees to share
in premiums in any substantial way. And while the overall cost
of health insurance was significant, it was not overwhelming our
economy. It certainly was not a concern in terms of competitiveness, and
we definitely were not concerned with global competition due to lower
costs for health coverage in other countries.
Today, however, we live in a different world. The annual cost of our
plans here at BENETEMPS
is over $20,000 per year for family
coverage and we all pay a portion of the premium, deductibles,
co-insurance and more. We aren’t any healthier as a result of all of
this spending. All of us are spending money we don’t really have for
health services that are too expensive, unnecessary or designed to
protect providers from litigation.
As our elected representatives wrestle with these difficult issues,
heightened by our current economic situation, we need to make clear to
them that the solution to this issue must be one that is good for
everyone, not just for businesses that are involved in health care, but
for all individuals and businesses.
We quickly need to design a new approach that will immediately solve at
least some of the issues and work on others in a short period of time.
What we shouldn’t do is maintain the status quo. The
New York Times and CBS News reported this week that over 85% of
Americans said the healthcare system needed to be fundamentally changed
or completely rebuilt and 72% either strongly or somewhat supported a
public insurance option to compete with private insurers.
Americans don’t want to see incremental change in healthcare, we want to
see a complete overhaul of the system. Unfortunately, our
representatives don’t seem to be completely clear that significant
change is required.
Regardless of your feelings on this topic, make them known to your
representatives in Washington. They need input from those of us in this
profession who deal with many of the issues they need to understand.
This is the time to make your voice heard. Let’s do this.
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