Kathleen O’Connor, health care industry analyst and journalist, founded
CodeBlueNow! upon the belief that the public has a right to be involved
in creating its own health care policy. Involved in healthcare for 30 years, she
shares her unique ability to communicate current health care topics in
a language everyone can understand.Document Actions
Woo Me Softly With Words
Many good exchanges recently took place between Brian Keppler and Maggie Mahar on obstacles to health care reform. This exchange can be read on Dr. Mike Magee’s, Health Commentary blog. I would like to weigh in with what I think the major obstacle is to reform: Our failure to paint a compelling picture of a preferred/new health care future.
In 2006, CodeBlueNow! held a series of focus groups and one of the things we were told is, "Show us what it could look like." That's what we consistently fail to do in health care reform. Mike Magee, MD, does a great job of doing this in his book: “Patient-Centered Health Care.” I am reading Ken Terry's book, "RX for Health Care Reform", so I am not sure what he has completely painted, but I like the direction he is headed. Next in line is Senator Daschle's book, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis." We took a beginning stab in our "It's Time to Speak Up on Health Care," which ran in January in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and later ran in March in the Des Moines Register.
People don't move without dreams and visions. You don't cross the Red Sea unless you know that there is milk and honey on the other side. Or march for civil rights, without the dream and vision that your current sacrifice will lead to something better. The Founding Fathers did not start with legislation to beat the Brits. They started with the Federalist Papers. They did not start the Papers with the Presidency and taxation. They painted pictures of what we could be and it was not until the last five of 85 papers that they talked about the Presidency, Senate, House, Judiciary and Taxation.
That's what we need to do. Paint the picture for reform, not dive into legislation.
At a luncheon today in Seattle, Don Hewitt, founder of 60 Minutes and executive producer, CBS News, was asked what made a good reporter. He replied " Someone who makes stories come to life with words." That's what we need to do. Make a new system come to life with words.
As bloggers, I think we have the rare opportunity to paint that picture collectively.
Write on! As the saying goes.
