ABSTRACT
Despite the warning signs that the road ahead is “out” and a detour needs to be taken quickly, there is so much momentum behind the current way of doing business that it’s going to be hard for many to avoid going over the cliff. The intense debate around the constitutionality of the individual mandate really concerned fundamental issues regarding the legitimate role of government in the people society. While PPACA provides health insurance for Americans who previously lacked coverage, it has done so at enormous cost and will continue to exacerbate the trend of provider consolidation, thereby reducing competition, and leading to greater inefficiency, less innovation, and, ultimately, less access to healthcare for consumers. It will only happen if consumers are empowered to make better choices and incented to do so. Creating a twenty-first-century model for healthcare means creating value in healthcare—achieving better health outcomes at lower cost—and it requires transparency and greater consistency in reporting outcomes.
