The question of health care reform has troubled brokers and agents for some time; at first, it was a question of whether it would pass. Then, on March 23, 2010, it was a question of what would happen next.
For Greg Scandlen, the answer is clear. Consumer-driven health care is the answer to what he calls "the worst piece of legislation ever enacted in the United States," a statement which met with great applause during Scandlen's keynote speech Tuesday.
Scandlen is the founder and director of Consumers for Health Care Choices, a national nonprofit organization that aims to help consumers preserve individual freedom and the quality of care in America's health care system. In his speech yesterday, he minced no words on his distaste for the new reform law.
Recommended For You
In passing health care reform, Congress betrayed constituents, and trade associations abandoned the interests of their members, he told the audience. In an analysis of 10 different surveys, Scandlen found an average 52.5 percent of respondents are opposed to the law, over 12 percentage points more than those who support it. And after capitulating to lawmakers' demands, many trade groups like the American Medical Association and America's Health Insurance Plans will get nothing more than "a seat at the table."
Third party payment makes health care bureaucratic, unaccountable, inconvenient, of questionable quality, and expensive, he said, adding later that politicians have made insurance so unattractive and unaffordable over the years that many people simply don't want to buy it.
And while Congress turned its back on constituents, Scandlen doesn't believe the bill will even do any good. Mandates don't work, he argues – how many people abide by speed limits, after all? And, increasing coverage will solve nothing as many insureds can't get services as it is, he says.
Consumer-driven health care, on the other hand, is good for the sick and the healthy, the poor and the wealthy. Consumer-driven plans lower costs, allowing families to plan for the future; they also increase participation in wellness and prevention, and improve compliance and health. A lack of restrictions on what kind of treatment consumers can choose means the plans are good for alternative and innovative care.
Still, Scandlen has little hope for the industry under health care reform's heavy hand. One frustrated attendee asked, "We get it. Sucks to be us, the bill doesn't work. Is there any good news in this?"
His answer to this question was simple. "No."
Read more about what went down at Benefits Selling Expo 2010.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
