I’m Michael Hoexter, a marketing consultant in energy but also a concerned citizen and healthcare system user. I write a blog on clean energy technology and policy (greenthoughts.us) but have been finding that there are more general impediments to rational policy in a number of areas. I have been wanting to explore how policy gets made and how it might be made better in an area other than my area of specialty, looking for commonalities and differences.
My personal belief is that we could in terms of the design of our health care system not do much worse than what we have now in terms of cost controls, payments, and revenue collection for that system. On the other hand Reform of some type is inevitable though we could go through a dark period of either stifled reform or reform based on misguided principles.
My interest in health care stems from a number of experiences and interests of mine which are not directly related to health care.
- I have a general interest in improving the quality of our social science, which I believe has failed us in a number of endeavors over the past decades.
- In an earlier part of my career, I have worked in health care delivery and research both funded by the government and funded by private funds.
- I have been a patient in the US and in Germany, which has a different health care system.
- I have a general professional interest in good policy, particularly in the area of energy and climate, where I see analogies with what is going on in health care. I am wondering if we are capable now of putting together any effective and thorough-going reform in any area of policy.
- I want to have good, secure health care for myself, my family and my friends that will not bust our or our nation’s budgets now and in the future.
