Transparency in Healthcare Reform

There is something that has been eating away at me for months.  It is the utter lack of transparency by government and by both Republicans and Democrats regarding healthcare reform.   It is almost impossible to find one person in the US Government who can talk about Healthcare Reform.  I don’t know if it’s because no one in DC or up on the hill knows anything about healthcare reform or if there is some kind of unofficial  “gag order”  in place.  No one realizes it because no one even knows what the right questions to ask.   But when our magazine goes out to ask questions of people in the Government, whether Republicans or Democrats, we are told they won’t do interviews.   When these same people in government who are involved in the healthcare reform process go and speak at conferences, they put a “gag order” on the conference.  No recordings, no pictures, and no stories are allowed to be written about their speech?  Can you believe this?  Where is the freedom of speech and where is the transparency?   Is it because they know people won’t like the answers, or because they don’t know the answers and that will be very embarrassing.

The saddest part is that both sides are so focused on fighting each other and “one-upping” each other, they have forgotten about the American people.  They have forgotten that while they fight for political standing and positioning for 2012, we the people lose out.  I feel the recent elections were supposed to be a big wake up call to BOTH parties.  To cut it out and to do what’s best for America and to teach them to start working together.  Unfortunately both parties missed the message and we may find no progress until two years from now, when Americans correct inaction and political infighting at the next set of elections.

About the Author

Jonathan Edelheit is editor-in-chief of the Healthcare Reform Magazine and has been involved in Health Insurance industry for over ten years.  His background includes running a national healthcare administrator, designing insurance products for employers and insurance companies and working with thousands of health insurance agents and consultants around the country.  Mr. Edelheit has been mentioned or featured in hundreds of magazines and media over the past few years and is  considered an expert in health insurance and healthcare.  Mr. Edelheit is also the editor of the Self Funding Magazine, the Corporate Wellness Magazine, the Voluntary Benefits Magazine and the Global Benefits Magazine.  Mr. Edelheit also runs one of the largest healthcare conferences in the country, the Employer Healthcare Congress, www.employerhealthcarecongress.com.