New CMS Chief: Let's Work Together to Reform Health Care

From a speech given by Donald Berwick at a recent AHIP sponsored function:

My door is wide open," Berwick said, to anyone "who will join authentically join" the administration to update the health care system. "Those who welcome change and will agree to meet it will find a friend."

However, he said, "Those who wish only to preserve the status quo . . . cannot be effective partners."

At one point during the meeting, tensions between Obama administration health officials and the health insurance industry became clear when an industry representative questioned Berwick. He asked what the new CMS administrator would do to alleviate the image within the administration as a "villain," change the culture within CMS to "acknowledge there are forces for good within the insurance industry," and reduce the "tone of hostility" shown toward health plan executives.

"Let's look ahead, not back," answered Berwick, who was sworn in two months ago. He said that if the administration and insurers steadily work together to make care better, "trust will resurface . . . If we do this together and make care better, the rest will follow."

I think this is a good message. Fighting the reform measures after the legislation will not do health care plans any good. HC Plans are going to have 39 M new potential customers. That really is not a bad situation. To make it the best it can be carriers should work w/CMS not fight them.