What health reform means to me

The heated debate over health reform has not ended but some of the "heat" from the debate has subsided. Whether this is because people are exhausted or disgusted is not clear to me, but lately I've been thinking about why I favor reforming our system. I'm not a fan of the legislation in Congress right now, but I'm not interested in criticizing it. If you have an opinion on drug re-importation, malpractice, insurance reform, pay-for-performance or anything else hit me up - I have an opinion I’m happy to share.

I've always found it curious that I am encouraged to see my dentist every six months, but my doctor only once a year.

What I would prefer to talk about is making our system more nimble and innovative. I would like our system to provide incentives for people to check-in regularly depending on their age and health status. Checking-in doesn't necessarily mean seeing a doctor - it could be meeting with a nutritionist, talking to a trainer or seeing a therapist. I realize that this brings to mind a whole host of practical questions related to co$t but as we grow older and more people are living with chronic diseases (i.e. diabetes, heart disease, etc...) This is the type of care that can actually help people.

I've always found it curious that I am encouraged to see my dentist every six months, but my doctor only once a year. Certainly my body is more complex than my teeth. How could a mid-year check-up with a nurse or clinician to review my prescriptions, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc not be beneficial? For the past year the debate about healthcare reform has been shaped by competing interests.  Reform has become a dirty word for some and the Holy Grail for others, but for me it is about re-thinking how we provide care, what constitutes "care" and how to make care accessible to everyone.