Good December 24, 2012, Folks.
We have survived the Mayan calendar collision, and so far we have not solved the fiscal cliff, protecting our kids, and more. But that's exactly what this post is about.
My husband, dog Phoebe Jo (who celebrates her birthday tomorrow), and I were running errands earlier today and stopped at the red light. Ninety degrees to our left, a beautiful beige convertible (we live in FL, remember) stepped on the gas as the passenger looked at the driver. We blinked. The passenger had antlers, a shiny red nose that lit up, and he was turning his head to the driver, an elegant silver-haired gentleman who casually drove uptown. Yes, Rudolph just rode by, and I couldn't positively identify the gentleman as Santa Claus, but I could believe it was Santa as I so want to embrace joy right now.
It's been a stormy year for the US, especially the Newtown tragedy. Primaries, elections, health reform implementation, taxation, job transitions, job loss, auto improvement, fiscal cliffs, getting the government into/out of national health management--these items and more have caused a level of polarization that makes it hard to go out to dinner! [sidebar: the lovely older women marching here with posters that said, "Get the government out of my Medicare," unnerved me a bit, so I smilingly lowered my window to ask what exactly that meant, wherein the lovely lady answered "We don't want government messing with our Medicare," and I smilingly started to answer when my window started rising, as my husband pushed the button]
I've had the honor of presenting a legislative briefing on Capitol Hill in early December of this year DC presentation Capitol Hill 12.5.12 The presentation on VBBD (value-based benefit design)/VBID (value-based insurance design) was structured to showcase results and challenges to the aides to the fiscal cliff committee. As I walked into the halls of the Capitol in DC, I caught my breath. I paused for a moment to absorb the honor, not make more than it actually was, but also not ignore the opportunity to inform the influencers of a great national discussion of the business basis for VBBD-VBID and the evidence that I have catalogued for more over 10 years. I turned to the woman at my side, a state senator from Alabama, who asked if she could come to the presentation. Then off we went to meet my colleague, Dr. Michael Chernew (Harvard), and coordinate our efforts. Our mission: to inform the aides of the kinds of health status improvements and potential cost savings that could accrue with broader application of VBID into Medicare; he was armed with academic prowess, I was armed with big and small business evidence, and we agreed that we would not always agree in the measures. But what was surely the truth for both of us: VBBD-VBID increases the engagement and adherence to prevention, wellness, and chronic care management, and extends to guidance to valuable services, such as primary care, appropriate urgent care, and patient-centered care coordination.
The response was terrific: a filled room of committed and animated listeners who did not exit early. Mike and I each presented for about 7 minutes, then the aides' questions ensued. They wrote, they drilled down for more answers, details of published reports, requests for websites and links to research. Seventy-five minutes later, we had left our mark and gathered our iPads. Both Mike and I have been contacted for follow-up, and both of us have sent fulfillment to our hosts to distribute to the group. Summary: there is a lot of energy, a lot of focus on minimizing costs while maximizing outcomes, and the level of polarization that we see on TV or read in our news media was not so evident. These professionals are focusing on getting the US healthy again.
This morning on Morning Joe, Joe and Mika welcomed Steven Spielberg and Doris Kearns Goodwin to discuss Spielberg's latest movie Lincoln, based on Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals." Spielberg reminds us that Lincoln's Gettysburg address was the epitome of grand leadership, culling the very essence of intent into a a few short and intractable moments, wherein Lincoln never mentioned slavery but, instead, focused on the future of the country. Goodwin reminds us all that politics has the power to move our lives to the better; that good men (and she specifically notes that Lincoln was a man, not an icon) with cherished convictions can provide leadership during times of crisis, that these visionaries can lead the country to better outcomes by holding true to their convictions while agreeing to compromise. Such was the effort to hold the country together while passing the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. Then she added, "One must be optimistic." Her point was that Lincoln, despite his struggles with depression, was an optimistic leader, believing in the good of the nation and the good of its people.
So I write this blog on this Christmas eve, a day of media symbols of great love and optimism. We can take the fables, the religious stories, and the historical reminders as a collection of opportunities to do better, to believe in ourselves and our children, to not allow the wonder of "miracles," however you behold them, to escape our daily lives.
Yes, I do believe that we can do better. I do believe that each of us has a gift to contribute to the communities in which we live and serve, real and virtual. I am optimistic this year, just as I am every year at just about this same time. I know that we can, together, build a healthier US, one in which more jobs are created, more education results in effective innovation, and our kids can live in peace and security. That's my wish for 2013: love, health and security, to you and yours. That's what Rudolph, with his cheery smile and bright red nose, reminded me of today. We can all make a dent in the universe.
Happy, Healthy, New Year, Everyone!
