Senate Health Bill Fails in Four Areas 

We all know the major focus of both the House and Senate bills (besides simply to repeal and replace the ACA) is to address the problem of uninsured Americans and the affordability of health care in a way that is fiscally responsible from the perspective of government spending. The latest Keckley Report gives an overview of winners and losers in the Senate healthcare bill. But what really caught our eye was this list of four issues that are not addressed at all:    

• Access to care – which is not the same as access to coverage.
• The wasted money in the healthcare system that could be put to more productive use.
• Transforming the Medicaid program through redesign, not just budget cuts that will do nothing to fix it long-term.
• Affordability.

The theme is the need for transformation of a broken system, and we couldn’t agree more. Given the current political climate, it’s up to employers to drive positive disruption in healthcare by shifting their strategic focus to paying for value, improving the quality of care and empowering the consumer. Collectively, employers have enormous influence in the US healthcare system. Our actions have the potential to improve it for everyone.

Go to full article: www.paulkeckley.com