(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
(Bloomberg View) — Steven Brill’s new book about the process of passing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is so meticulously reported, I found myself surprised by many details of a process I myself was deeply involved in. I learned from “America’s Bitter Pill,” for example, that in October 2009 one of my White House colleagues apparently wrote a memo arguing that I had mislead President Barack Obama in highlighting the potential for the legislation to slow the growth of health care costs. Brill approvingly quotes a staff member saying that the point of the memo was that “Peter overstated to the president how great the bill was on costs.”

If the reporting is accurate, the anecdote is not just surprising but also telling. A substantial amount of skepticism, perhaps even within the White House, existed about whether the health care legislation did enough on costs. Yet the cost curve in health care is bending more drastically than even I believed possible in the fall of 2009. That’s because the collective impact of the legislation’s individual measures, along with similar changes in the private sector, has produced a shift in perspective and therefore behavior among health care leaders.

This is a significant point Brill fails to acknowledge — to the great detriment of his thesis. Ironically, though, it’s noted toward the end of the book by Gary Gottlieb, the outgoing chief executive of Partners HealthCare in Boston, who says, “There are a lot of problems with Obamacare. But the attention it focused, at least in the industry, on costs with those pilots made a lot of us realize we have to change how we operate.”

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO.com, part of your ALM digital membership.

Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO.com content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Critical BenefitsPRO.com information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events.
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com

Already have an account?


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 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.

Dig Deeper

BenefitsPRO

Join BenefitsPRO

Don’t miss crucial news and insights you need to navigate the shifting employee benefits industry. Join BenefitsPRO.com now!

  • Unlimited access to BenefitsPRO.com - your roadmap to thriving in a disrupted environment
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
  • Exclusive discounts on BenefitsPRO.com and ALM events.

Already have an account? Sign In Now
Join BenefitsPRO

Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.