Green or White... Asparagus is out of sight! - Ginny Erwin
Green or White... Asparagus is out of sight! - Ginny Erwin
Green or White... Asparagus is out of sight! - Ginny Erwin
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M I S S I O N: TO H E L P P E O P L E H E L P T H E M S E LV E S TO S E L F-SUFFICIENCY T H R O U G H G A I N F U L E M P L OY M E N T<br />
From the Direct<strong>or</strong><br />
By Bruce Crane<br />
Executive Direct<strong>or</strong><br />
Pondering healthcare<br />
ref<strong>or</strong>m can<br />
take a very long<br />
time. It has already.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> I believe: we<br />
don’t have the luxury<br />
to allow it to take much longer. I <strong>of</strong>fer up<br />
two views that supp<strong>or</strong>t th<strong>is</strong>. First, a classic<br />
adage: If we do what we’ve always done, we’ll<br />
get what we’ve always got. What we’ve got <strong>is</strong><br />
good by some standards and bad by others. We<br />
could debate ab<strong>out</strong> where our healthcare system<br />
<strong>is</strong> good and bad, as many people do. But I<br />
think most <strong>of</strong> us can agree that f<strong>or</strong> whatever it<br />
<strong>is</strong>, it <strong>is</strong> not “good enough.” So we should then<br />
be able to agree that we need to do something<br />
different to get something different.<br />
Second, doing something <strong>is</strong> better than<br />
doing nothing. It <strong>is</strong> an imperfect w<strong>or</strong>ld, (and I<br />
can accept that we <strong>of</strong>ten have imperfect data),<br />
human foibles, m<strong>is</strong>guided self interest, and<br />
other things that lead to imperfect dec<strong>is</strong>ions.<br />
When we do nothing, we have no hope <strong>of</strong><br />
making an improvement. Only when we act,<br />
do we have the chance to make an improvement.<br />
We should also be able to agree that we<br />
do something, even if it won’t be perfect.<br />
The big <strong>is</strong>sue, then, <strong>is</strong> what should we do?<br />
We know it needs to be different from what<br />
we’ve been doing and that we have to do it<br />
swiftly. I am not the one to answer th<strong>is</strong>, but I<br />
can <strong>of</strong>fer a framew<strong>or</strong>k f<strong>or</strong> understanding: It<br />
won’t be perfect, and it won’t solve everything.<br />
Not everyone’s personal concerns <strong>or</strong><br />
self interests will be addressed. But it can<br />
make a huge improvement and lay the groundw<strong>or</strong>k<br />
f<strong>or</strong> the continuous improvement that<br />
most highly successful businesses strive f<strong>or</strong>.<br />
The plan needs to be malleable so it can be<br />
improved over time, as we gain better data and<br />
knowledge. We need to accept “most” rather<br />
than “all,” and “better” rather than “perfect.”<br />
Our collective crystal ball <strong>is</strong> just not clear<br />
enough to do it all now. We must leave those<br />
improvements f<strong>or</strong> the future. We need to step<br />
back from the notion that every need will be<br />
met, because we just aren’t that capable <strong>of</strong> a<br />
collective society.<br />
We are capable enough to improve things. I<br />
believe we can make drastic improvements,<br />
too. All it takes <strong>is</strong> a commitment to change,<br />
action, and an acceptance <strong>of</strong> imperfection.<br />
Oh, and yes, it also takes folks a lot smarter and<br />
experienced in health care than I to draft it,<br />
and politicians who will look at the big picture<br />
<strong>of</strong> a simple framew<strong>or</strong>k, and the acceptance <strong>of</strong><br />
experts who will do their best eff<strong>or</strong>t to handle<br />
the unending details.<br />
If we don’t do th<strong>is</strong>, most <strong>of</strong> the StreetW<strong>is</strong>e<br />
vend<strong>or</strong>s will continue to be uninsured.<br />
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M A R C H 24-MARCH 30, 2010