What Next ?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act was passed in 2011 with major aspects of it scheduled for implementation in future years. This much debated piece of legislation was over 2000 pages long. The then speaker of the house said that "we will need to pass the bill to know what's in the bill".

So, now as healthcare experts dig into the legislation a new nugget of discovery emerges almost daily.

Having recently attended a symposium on healthcare leadership and having read and spoken to others, it is apparent that the jury is still out on the total impact. Quite frankly, some are playing in cautiously in hopes that it might go away while others are frozen as they contemplate the rule changes. There is definite trepidation; no one seems to know what to do.

Whether the legislation remains or is overturned, there is no doubt that there must be change - it's in the numbers - compelling numbers.

• 78 million baby boomers
• 30-40 million uninsured
• 16+% of GDP & growing
• $7500 per capita expenditure on healthcare

This unprecedented aging population stressing the capacity of the healthcare system will be met with an equal pressure in the opposite direction to reduce cost ...it is inevitable. The US cannot compete in a world market when a projected 20%+ of its GDP is consumed by healthcare; especially while other nations are spending half as much.

So, what will healthcare look like in 5 years, 10 years ...for that matter next year? And what will that mean to you, our customers? Will the emphasis on patient satisfaction continue or will the Western European model of slashing cost come to your hospital or the hospital near you?

My suspicion is the answer is yes it will - it will change but it will be different for each location. I remember one healthcare expert explaining the US system to a European researcher one time; "when you've seen one US hospital you've seen one." Our healthcare delivery can be different from hospital to hospital each affected by size, market position, specialty, control, objective (for profit - not for profit), layout, etc.

There will be a need to respond to different situations with different solutions and there will be opportunity for clever, resourceful people and companies that take the initiative. It will not be one size fits all.

Understanding this complex piece of legislation just may be as difficult as trying to tell the future. "We will need to pass the bill to see what's in the bill", isn't that the equivalent of "we will need to experience the future before we will know it?" Either way we are launching into uncharted territory.

We anticipate the future based on our best market knowledge and understanding. No matter which direction the market takes you, Aladdin is prepared to respond with products and services to meet your requirements. Although, we can't predict, we can do our best to create a better future as together we get "better by degrees".

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Martin A. Rothschild, President Aladdin Temp-Rite