The ACA Fire Fight

I was working late one Friday night trying to solve a problem for a client when my boss, an ex-marine came in.  I confided in him that I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing but felt that waiting till Monday to address the issue was not the proper course even if it gave me more time to think my options through.  He agreed and told me about the rules of a fire fight.  He said that when you’re under attack the longer you wait to do something the fewer and less viable your options become.  His point was that sometimes any action, even one that’s not the best, is better than hesitation.  In his experience hesitation could mean the difference between life and death.

When people complain about the ACA I think of that ex-marine’s story.  Thing is, I always was and remain ambivalent about the ACA.  If functionally doesn’t solve any problems but its better than having just sat back and watched the existing system’s problems overwhelm and bankrupt it.  Thanks in part to the ACA, we can look forward to that same prospect in another 5 to 7 years.  If that sounds like a criticism it is but, those who pressed for reform and got the ACA through at least bought us time.  Those who continue to criticize the ACA and the effort behind it really don’t have much credibility in my book.  They didn't act when action was called for, there is no reason to believe they would have initiated their own effort and are still not offering counter solutions.  The singular truth that we all know is that the current healthcare system is not sustainable and reform is needed.  We need to stop pointing fingers and complaining about what happened during the last fire fight and get ready for the next because its surely coming.