"Testing, Testing"

Atul Gawande has written another article on healthcare insurance reform for the New Yorker. This time, he advocates a continuous testing approach to cut costs instead of a singular, master plan.

Getting our medical communities, town by town, to improve care and control costs isn’t a task that we’ve asked government to take on before. But we have no choice. At this point, we can’t afford any illusions: the system won’t fix itself, and there’s no piece of legislation that will have all the answers, either. The task will require dedicated and talented people in government agencies and in communities who recognize that the country’s future depends on their sidestepping the ideological battles, encouraging local change, and following the results. But if we’re willing to accept an arduous, messy, and continuous process we can come to grips with a problem even of this immensity. We’ve done it before.

Read more here.

I believe that the main goal of the current healthcare insurance reform debate should be to reduce costs first and expand coverage second. I know people will challenge that the loss of one life is immeasurable, but I think it is irresponsible if our system goes bankrupt later and we cannot fund Medicare and Medicaid for most of the population.

I hope healthcare insurance reform passes as that will provide a stepping stone for further change down the road. Our country cannot afford to do nothing given the spiraling healthcare costs, and we as adults and responsible citizens must make sure that we are informed enough to guide our politicians to rational choices so that our children will grow up in an environment where they are not saddled with this cost burden. There is no "magical pill" or easy choices ahead, but we must remain levelheaded and patient in finding a solution.