Even though polls reveal more than half the country hates it and the federal website to sign up for it is a debacle, the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) is here to stay.
Don’t take my word for it. Follow the money. “Big Business” is behind it, even as the law flounders during the initial rollout.
Joseph Swedish is the CEO of WellPoint Inc., the nation’s second-largest health
insurer and largest among the Blue Cross Blue Shield Network. WellPoint was No. 45 on the 2013 Fortune 500 list and tried unsuccessfully to defeat Democrats who voted for Obamacare in 2010. Yet even Swedish was optimistic about consumers being able to sign up for the law in the months ahead, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal.
“I’d say the potential is there for a significant uptake,” he said.
Miles White is the CEO of health care and pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories, which was ranked No. 70 on the 2013 Fortune 500 list. A Chicago Tribune report recently chronicled White’s laundry list of issues with the ACA. However, at the end, even White concluded the odds of the law going away are slim.
“It doesn’t lend itself to patching for fixing,” he said. “And realistically, you can’t throw out the whole damn thing.”
If that’s not enough evidence, The Los Angeles Times also pointed out last week that “major retail pharmacies, such as CVS Caremark, have agreed to market the law’s benefits in their stores. And hospitals and health clinics in many states are helping patients sign up for coverage.”
CVS Caremark, by the way, was ranked No. 13 on the Fortune 500 in 2013.
If you’re doing the math at home, three of the 70 biggest companies in the United States
are pretty well convinced the ACA is here for good. They’re looking forward, not back. So if one of the largest insurance companies, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and
one of the largest pharmacy chains in America are planning ahead, so should the rest of the business community. After all, WellPoint, Abbott and CVS didn’t get where they are today by betting on the wrong horses.
I’m not interested in debating whether the ACA is good or bad in this space. As a strategic communications consultant, I’m here to find opportunities for my clients in the health care, human resources and legal professions to educate businesses and workers on how the law will impact them.
The questions are many: Will the individual mandate be delayed? How long will it take to fix the websites? What about public vs. private exchanges? Will I get to keep my doctor if I get insurance through the state exchanges?
These benefits consultants, attorneys and accountants have answers. They need to be advising their clients and potential clients how to comply with the law, get ahead of what they perceive to be its more onerous provisions and, put simply, make the best of it.
This has been our experience at WordWrite Communications. We have learned that if you’re in the business or want to be in the business of advising clients about the impact of the ACA, the media is seeking experts for guidance in their news coverage. As a result, we’re communicating the historic impact of health care reform to our contacts in the news every day.
Our persistence and strong relationships with the media have resulted in placements, interviews and coverage for our health care and professional services clients in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh.
Bottom line: This law is going to live in some way, shape or form. If you believe otherwise, then you’re probably placing too much faith in the pronouncements of some politicians and the ability of their constituents to reverse a tidal wave of change.
Therefore, any business that advises other businesses or individuals on health care issues has an opportunity to share the real story of the ACA in America. Smart communications advisers can help ensure that your ability to educate companies on the many layers of health care reform doesn’t go unnoticed and that your services continue to be in high demand.
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Jeremy Church is an account supervisor for WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at jeremy.church@wordwritepr.com and on Twitter @churchjeremy.
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