Silly Holidays and Healthcare

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Canadians have health insurance.
And all Americans should too.

The Biden Administration got our Valentine. Their massive American Rescue Plan funds these initiatives to expand health insurance coverage:

Premium subsidies for ACA plans
Medicaid services in non-expansion states
18 months of COBRA coverage for laid-off workers
Zero-premium plans for low-income Americans.

As a result, many more Americans will have better, more affordable health insurance. Paraphrasing Infor’s Matt Wilson, “Affordable healthcare is delivered healthcare.” Who needs flowers or chocolates? Coverage matters.

Exactly one month after Valentine’s Day is National Pi Day. March 14th or 3.14 pays tribute to the mathematical relationship between a circle’s circumference and its diameter.

Numbers don’t lie. Reform fails if it makes healthcare affordable for individuals but doesn’t contain runaway costs. As Harvard economist Amitabh Chandra notes, “Great healthcare should not force us to live in caves.” Value matters.

Moreover, chronic disease is crippling America and shattering the American dream. Life expectancy has declined four of the last five years. Paying more and more for healthcare treatments without promoting wellness is financially unsustainable and ultimately self-defeating. Holistic care matters.

May the 4th is National Star Wars Day. Let’s confront healthcare’s evil Empire. Let’s support rebel demands for appropriate, accessible and affordable care for all Americans. Imagine great healthcare for less money. It would free up enormous resources to pay higher worker salaries, invest in more productive industries and fix our tattered infrastructure.

Possible, change is.

May the Force be with us.

Read all dispatches from Dave Johnson here.

About the Author

David W. Johnson

David Johnson is the CEO of 4sight Health, an advisory company working at the intersection of healthcare strategy, economics, innovation. Johnson is a healthcare thought leader, keynote speaker, and strategic advisor to organizations busting the status-quo to reform our healthcare system. He is the author of Market vs. Medicine: America’s Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare, and his second book, The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All (McGraw-Hill 2019). As a speaker, Dave plays the role of rebel, challenger, industry historian, investor and company evaluator to push audiences forward. (Watch bio video.) Johnson applies his 25+ years of investment banking in healthcare to identify ways the healthcare industry must change to deliver better care. He received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, an English degree from Colgate University, and served in the African Peace Corp service. Join over 10k+ healthcare executives who read our weekly insights and commentary on www.4sighthealth.com.

Dave wakes up every morning trying to fix America’s broken healthcare system. Prior to founding 4sight Health in 2014, Dave had a long and successful career in healthcare investment banking. He is a graduate of Colgate University and earned a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. Employing his knowledge and experience in health policy, economics, statistics, behavioral finance, disruptive innovation, organizational change and complexity theory, Dave writes and speaks on pro-market healthcare reform. His first book Market vs. Medicine: America’s Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare, and his second book, The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All (McGraw-Hill 2019), are available for purchase on www.4sighthealth.com. Get his new book with Paul Kusserow, “The Coming Healthcare Revolution: 10 Forces that Will Cure America’s Healthcare Crisis” now.

March 16, 2021

Silly Holidays and Healthcare

About the Author

David W. Johnson

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