Something doesn't add up.

As with so many other topics in our country these days, anything approaching consensus remains elusive. But a growing number of voices within our industry are calling for change—and many are offering potential solutions.

Frequent contributor David Contorno recently wrote, "The most common reaction to the rising costs … or the worsening of benefits, or the increase in the insurance company meddling with the care we receive, is to get angry at the insurance company, or in some cases, our employer. But rarely do we ever look to the health care system, and even less frequently, to ourselves."

He argues that "a major shift in thinking has to occur before we can get to the root of the problem. And if we don't do it soon, the government will have no choice but to step in in a way that makes Obamacare look like child's play."

A key ingredient in turning things around, he says, is increased transparency from health care providers, enabling consumers to conduct research and, in turn, become smarter consumers.

In our June cover story on health care cost drivers, "Turning the ship," David Newman of the independent nonprofit The Health Care Cost Institute notes that another important factor will be helping employers and other institutional health care purchasers make better decisions when choosing health plan design and networks. "If an employer or insurance carrier negotiates a better price with a provider," Newman says, "every consumer gets that benefit, whether they shop or not."

One thing remains clear: Significant change will not occur overnight. As Marcy Buckner, vice president of government affairs for NAHU says in the article, it's like trying to turn the Titanic on a dime.

While it's easy to become discouraged in the fact of such a monumental task, I believe this ongoing conversation about solutions is as important as anything else that's happening right now. It's up to all of us to keep it going.