Restructuring to make maximizing health the organizing principle: NYT begins to get it.

I havn't been able to dedicate as much time to AM in the past weeks as I would have liked, but I always feel it is most important to contribute when I have a story about why I belive the work of AM is so unique and so important.

For several weeks the Democratic presidential candidates have been arguing about different aspects of universal coverage, without mentioning the other half of the equation - organization and costs. John McCain and many conservatives are talking more about costs, but seem unwilling to admit that we will only have a more efficient system if we restructure it so that it is efficient. Changing how we pay with Health Savings Accounts, Single-Payer etc. will not change how much we pay for inefficient care, as Dr. Kitzhaber so clearly explains in his most recent video.

Most major news media outlets have followed suit and focused on either access or financing, but not reorganization or efficiency. However, a recent New York Times article is beginning to get the picture. The article speaks mainly about Obama and Clinton arguing about access, and McCain arguing about financing, but in the last paragraph they include the input of Dr. Frieden, a pretty awesome guy who understands the message that AM has been spreading for a long time.

The government must fight on all fronts simultaneously to have any chance at meaningful change. “If reforming U.S. health care results only in expanded access to care, costs will increase faster but with limited health benefits,” Thomas R. Frieden, New York City’s health commissioner, wrote last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association. “If only cost controls are instituted, even more individuals will be denied access to needed care. Health care must be restructured to make maximizing health the organizing principle [emphasis mine].

If this article indicates that big news outlets like the NYT are finally going to begin talking about health care reorganization, this could be very big news for us at AM. A NYT article is a very tangible way for you to reach out to your friends and family. Tell them about the article, and let them know that the last paragraph is the part that gets it right. Post this to your blog, or any other page you know of on the internet. Write the editor of your local newspaper about this article. As always, be sure to direct them back to AM, one of the very few organizations that has been working on this message for quite a while.

cheers