Countless articles have appeared in newspapers referencing the provisions that go into effect six months after the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, which became law on March 23. A pretty good synopsis can be found at the Health & Human Services reform website.
Politicians on the left have been out in force reselling the virtues of PPACA. And some on the right have been equally vocal in their criticism.
If there wasn’t so darn much left unclear by the bill, it might be easier to discern the truth. Beyond that, those assigned to implement PPACA have only started to write the implementation regulations.
This much is clear. Health care reform will simply continue to be a political football until after Nov. 5. After that, the work begins in earnest. For a sneak preview of how real pros intend to adapt to PPACA, I’ve helped organize a forum on Oct. 5. We’ve brought together several prominent business leaders, an insurance company president, a hospital system president and two cabinet level officials from Madison. The number already registered suggests a whole lot of people are confused. More information can be found at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce registration link.
People aren’t walking around in a state of post-reform euphoria. Similarly, the world didn’t come to an end. For the most part, not much has really changed. (Yet.) And that’s too bad!
Jon Rauser is president of The Rauser Agency Inc., Milwaukee. He writes an ongoing blog about the health care industry at www.rauserhealthreview.com.
