Comments on: Opportunity Lost: The Failure Of California’s Health Reform http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/03/05/opportunity-lost-the-failure-of-california%e2%80%99s-health-reform/ The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:04:42 -0500 hourly 1 By: larrymitchel http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/03/05/opportunity-lost-the-failure-of-california%e2%80%99s-health-reform/comment-page-1/#comment-16799 larrymitchel Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:13:12 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/03/05/opportunity-lost-the-failure-of-california%e2%80%99s-health-reform/#comment-16799 One fallout of the California Health Care Reform (HCR) effort is quite problematic. Policymakers see concessions made by various parties (e.g., the California Hospital Association), as evidence of an opportunity to exploit. So we have already seen lawmakers "cherry-pick" elements of the agreement in focused legislation submitted for the 2008 session. While this is perhaps inevitable, it could have the effect of cooling any future ardor for complex compromises. The HCR was a finely-tuned balance of elements, in which parties were willing to give on one point BECAUSE they thought they gained on another important point. This balance is lost when later opportunists in the legislature pick out single elements, with the mistaken understanding that a particular party to the negotiation had "given in" on that element. It was only "given in to" in exchange for something else of value. The later half of the exchange is missing entirely when compromise elements are thus cherry-picked. Now parties to the negotiation are placed in the difficult position of opposing legislation on something they'd agreed to in the compromise HCR. How do you explain that in a sound bite? One fallout of the California Health Care Reform (HCR) effort is quite problematic. Policymakers see concessions made by various parties (e.g., the California Hospital Association), as evidence of an opportunity to exploit. So we have already seen lawmakers “cherry-pick” elements of the agreement in focused legislation submitted for the 2008 session.

While this is perhaps inevitable, it could have the effect of cooling any future ardor for complex compromises. The HCR was a finely-tuned balance of elements, in which parties were willing to give on one point BECAUSE they thought they gained on another important point.

This balance is lost when later opportunists in the legislature pick out single elements, with the mistaken understanding that a particular party to the negotiation had “given in” on that element. It was only “given in to” in exchange for something else of value. The later half of the exchange is missing entirely when compromise elements are thus cherry-picked.

Now parties to the negotiation are placed in the difficult position of opposing legislation on something they’d agreed to in the compromise HCR. How do you explain that in a sound bite?

]]> By: alazycowboy.com » Blog Archive » Opportunity Lost: The Failure Of California’s Health Reform http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/03/05/opportunity-lost-the-failure-of-california%e2%80%99s-health-reform/comment-page-1/#comment-16504 alazycowboy.com » Blog Archive » Opportunity Lost: The Failure Of California’s Health Reform Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:35:41 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/03/05/opportunity-lost-the-failure-of-california%e2%80%99s-health-reform/#comment-16504 [...] Opportunity Lost: The Failure Of California’s Health ReformPatricia Lynch Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:06:34 GMT [...] [...] Opportunity Lost: The Failure Of California’s Health ReformPatricia Lynch Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:06:34 GMT [...]

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