Editorial: Embracing Change
Like it or not, we're going to be spending less on our health care - or more precisely, accepting that we'll be getting less for our health care dollar.
The string of years that we’ve all absorbed double-digit increases, only to scratch our heads and ask, “How can these massive increases continue to happen?” are officially coming to a close.
The political will and backbone to deal with this vexing issue has finally arrived. In the big picture, that is a good thing. But it’s also going to bring some bracing change to those most resistant to it. Municipal unions will be getting less for their heath care dollar and paying more for it. The pressure on hospitals to perform more efficiently will simply not allow them to maintain the ideal nurse-to-patient ratio — it’s simply an unsustainable standard. All of this means that if we want to pay less, we’ll have to accept a little less in terms of services.
Different forms of this debate are going on in Washington and in towns throughout our state. The forces resisting these inevitable changes are understandably playing the game as they always have. However, the game is changing, and those that are the quickest to see the new landscape and embrace it will feel more like the authors of the new paradigm and less like its victims.
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