Calling for change is easy. But actually changing is quite hard.
It’s mid-January. That means most people who made a resolution to change something about themselves this year have already “failed” in some way, or they have ditched their resolutions altogether. Many fail to keep their resolutions for the whole year because they aren’t specific enough, they underestimate the amount of effort required, they lack accountability, they aren’t clear on why they’re seeking change, and more.
So, how can we, as individuals, do better? One of my favorite fitness instructors says, “A goal is a wish, but a standard holds you accountable.”
In other words, we can’t achieve “better” if we don’t define what “better” is.
Applying this phrase to our current state in health care, it seems quite obvious we’re missing a standard for what better looks like. Alongside Brian Thompson’s horrific and untimely death came calls for change—not just in the unsavory public response but also from health care insiders.
Yet, in such a complicated and complex industry, with many intertwined and long-established business models running the show, it’s hard to know what’s a realistic standard and how to start a transformation toward that new standard.
These questions of what and how depend on defining some of the following:
- What “better” looks like
- The amount of effort required to achieve “better”
- Knowing when we’ve achieved it
In brief, understanding the standard for “better” and how we get there.
We need a new standard to ensure we don’t backslide into accepting today’s horrific status quo as the continued way of doing things for years to come.
Setting the standard for affordable health instead of bankrupt disease
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but questions and the resulting discussion can help lead us to some. As Clay Christensen once said, “Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven’t asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go.”
To jump-start the conversation, in our latest health insurance innovation report, we propose one outcome of a transformed health care system could be zero-inflation health care. Health care costs are out of control. But they don’t have to be. Business model innovation paired with a new value network can change the game.
But change doesn’t come from ideas alone. See above—most people abandon the ideas or lofty goals associated with New Year’s resolutions. So, instead of wishful thinking, let’s discuss what a national standard for a new and “better” way of health insurance looks like.
For the sake of this argument, let’s say “better” when it comes to health insurance could mean the following…
- No one (individual, family, company, government) goes bankrupt as a result of seeking medical care.
- All payers must provide 100% coverage for preventive care (yes, this would require discussion and more widespread standardization around what truly counts as preventive care).
- Individuals can easily and affordably retain their health insurance when they change jobs or leave the workforce (yes, this is a lofty standard, and yes, definitions around “easily” and “affordably” are required.).
These are three high-level examples of what “better” might look like. Looking at these potential standards, it’s clear that today’s system and the business models that function within it aren’t up to the challenge of making these standards of putting people over profits our reality.
That’s why business model innovation coupled with a new value network is critical for transformation. For more details on this approach, you can read the full-length report here, or an impeccable summary by HealthLeaders here and here.
With the right questions and engaging dialogue, we can work together (and especially with the help of government) to create a standard for “better” when it comes to health insurance—and for health itself… and then we can strive to achieve it.
Because otherwise, our stated goal for change is really just a wish. And wishful thinking is never a good strategy.
