Guiding Principles

When attempting to fix any complex system, two basic rules must guide the effort.

• Identify the underlying problems, not just the symptoms.
• Develop interventions that specifically address each problem found.

Making multiple, simultaneous, non-focused changes only adds to the dysfunction. The rejection of this basic problem-solving strategy represents the primary failure of the sweeping 2,700-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

For Congress to regain the trust of the American public, it must clearly explain each reform to the American public and then pass one reform at a time. Several principles must guide this process.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1)   Craft of a series of reforms, each reform addressing one clearly identified problem in the current healthcare system.
2)   Pass each reform separately.
3)   Write each bill using an understandable format and keep it to a reasonable length.
4)   Keep each bill clean, letting it pass or fail on its own merits. No pork, no payoffs.
5)   Make the final language available to the public for seven days prior to voting.