"Dear Mr. President..."

The once clear mandate to dive headfirst into health reforms has been second-guessed, possibly derailed. The public largesse, stung by one too many bailouts, bad politics and outrageous lies, has been overwhelmed. The appetite for yet another system-wide overhaul, dampened. Not to lump or devalue all resistance as illegitimate, but the energy spent debunking health-care myths have barely dented apprehension. Like a train hurled off the tracks, the message has gone AWOL, rather it's been intercepted. And, all before any one plan has made its way out of the gate. Too many Americans haven't the slightest clue as to what is being proposed, the likely outcomes or alternatives.

Sadly, we are health illiterate. Despite all of the technological advances we've made (and no one should be the enemy of progress and innovation), the nuts and bolts of good health and, for that matter, good health care, elude many.

What is needed is consensus among citizens, not politicians. Emphasize what we can do better. Promote wellness. Seed the public with the understanding that well-being is not the absence of sickness, rather lifestyle choices that strike balance and order. Reward and reinforce self-efficacy and those who decide to live healthier. Prioritize prevention by creating incentives for primary-care: enact debt-forgiveness and level reimbursement rates for primary physicians; also make annual physicals and screenings readily available.

Counter the perception that high-tech means high quality. Highlight accountable-care organizations where coordinated services and patient-centered medicine are centerpieces. Encourage hospitals to address patient safety by drastically reducing medical errors, and update and streamline the care process with electronic records. These efforts, the majority cannot afford to devalue.

Cultivate healthy communities and stimulate the economy through public works and private initiatives to erect and design accessible environments (particularly in urban and rural settings) such that income does not preclude access to parks, playgrounds, grocery stores, recreational centers and nutritious food options.

Using the leverage of health promotion, simultaneously tackle health insurance reforms. Eliminate the burden of pre-existing conditions and nefarious industry practices such as jacking up premiums, rationing necessary medical treatments and arbitrarily dropping coverage. Alas, challenge the pharmaceutical industry to place less money in marketing and instead offer discounted drug prices and more low-cost generics without compromising research and development dollars, as has been formerly touted.

If we themed health-care reform as creating and protecting healthy individuals, then we could amass the political capital and public goodwill to navigate the more contentious areas of expanding coverage and reining in costs. However, at the current pace the nation is poised to prematurely pronounce "lights out." When health care is overtly politicized, good health is sacrificed under the guise of preventing an abuse of government power and distorting the American brand. The argument is as much about incremental progress as it is about doling out the message.

By Chris T. Pernell  |  August 25, 2009; 2:09 PM ET  | Category:  Health Care Reform , Presidential leadership
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Posted by: agapn9 | August 27, 2009 10:54 AM
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