Paralyzed by Perception

Words like "believe" and "think" are extremely powerful. Beliefs are a foundation. They shape our thoughts, which determine our actions, which lead to certain outcomes. Belief is so powerful, it can even influence other people around us.

Henry Ford famously said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right."

Ghandi also exclaimed, “Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.”

Being a dad to two sons, 12 and 2, I see this truth play out in their everyday lives. But just believing doesn't mean you will succeed, just because you believe you can. My two year old probably honestly believes he can drive my truck. Sometimes out on the farm, I'll put him in my lap and let him drive my truck. You can see he really does believe he can drive that thing! But in reality, he couldn't do it alone. So, belief isn't a guarantee of actually doing.

On the other hand, if you don't first believe, there's no opportunity for success. My 12 year old can drive the truck on his own, and I've been teaching him for a while now. But before his first time to drive alone, he didn't believe he could do it on his own, so he didn't. He didn't even try. He first had to overcome his misbelief, believe in himself, then he was able to act. The moment I said, "See son? You're doing it", it was all behind him. All the fear. All the doubt. All the misbelief.

A set of beliefs is called a paradigm. Paradigms contribute to our world views that dominate the way we operate our daily lives. "The American Way of Life" is a paradigm. It's a set of beliefs we hold closely, and live by. For many years, one of those beliefs, part of living the American way of life, was having access to affordable healthcare. It was always part of the American dream.

That dream has turned more into a nightmare for many Americans. Healthcare has become out of reach for millions of Americans, and primarily due to high costs. This is a reality. Because healthcare has become so costly, and complex, people and companies have given up hope that affordable healthcare can once again be a cornerstone of the American dream.

But a growing group of innovators are restoring this paradigm. Consultants and advisors around the country have rolled up their sleeves, gone directly to the healthcare provider and clinical community to negotiate more favorable payment terms on behalf of their clients, and are creating solutions that restore this paradigm.

I say "restoring" the paradigm, because CHANGING paradigms seems to be a flashy, catch-phrase in healthcare right now. We don't need to change the primary paradigm, we simply need to restore it. Restore the American dream of giving all Americans affordable access to health care.

However, there is another paradigm that does need to change. There is an entire set of beliefs that say nothing meaningful can be done in healthcare. "It is what it is", "claims are the claims", "it's just the cost of doing business", "10% annual increases in health insurance premiums are the new normal", "all brokers/advisors are the same and none of them can help". These are all beliefs that have been developed over the past few decades, and they've created a whole new paradigm. A paradigm that says you cannot change healthcare, you cannot lower costs, you cannot stop the out of control inflation, and that all brokers are created equal.

It's a very prevalent paradigm.

So how do we change it?

We keep sharing successes. We keep educating the true buyers of healthcare in this country; employers and employees. We keep creating and scaling solutions, one employer at a time, one community at a time, one region at a time, one state at a time. These grassroots efforts are worth it, and minds are being changed. This paradigm is evolving....very slowly, but it is evolving. What gives me the most hope, is that now the clinical world is getting on board. Doctors, nurses, pharmacies, surgeons, hospitals, surgery centers, imaging centers....there is a vast world of clinicians who are raising their hands, volunteering to restore the American dream, and working with health plans to execute the solutions.

We are doing our part here in the Texas Panhandle. In concert with local/regional health care providers, we are offering a health insurance plan to regional employers that drastically reduces and/or eliminates deductibles and out of pocket costs entirely. It eliminates patient out of pocket costs for high-quality primary care, generic medications, and non-emergent imaging services. It is making high-value care affordable for virtually anyone and everyone.

It's not as easy as just going to a $0 deductible. The work behind the scenes involves working directly with the clinical/provider world to lower their pricing in exchange for faster and more accurate payments from our plans. By eliminating high deductibles, we are also solving a provider problem, not just a patient problem. We are effectively lowering prices but not at the expense of the true value-creators - the clinicians. This is key, because many associate lower prices with doctors and nurses making less money. Not true. There is so much "fluff" and "bloat" in healthcare, we are effectively lowering prices without reducing what clinicians get paid.

I asked a hospital CFO once, "How many $5000 deductibles are you collecting from patients in full?" His response was less than 30%. So, hospitals aren't seeing this money either. In exchange for a good contract, we eliminate the deductible, removing the burden the hospital has in collecting directly from patients. But not every hospital is participating, and that's ok. They are still clinging to old paradigms. I BELIEVE they'll come around sooner or later.

Beliefs are power things. What you believe is often the precursor to what you do. We choose our beliefs. Believe that affordable healthcare can be restored. Believe that changing healthcare in this way will do much to restore the American dream.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.