Health care reform requires listening to doctors and patients; my New York Times take

Did President Obama say enough in last night’s State of the Union address to improve the perilous state of health care reform?

I discuss what needs to be done to help reform’s prospects in a piece from the New York Times’ Room for Debate blog:

A recent Gallup poll noted that 73 percent of patients trusted their doctor’s opinion on health reform, surpassing the trust they had in health policy experts, Congress and even President Obama himself.

So to best convince patients, reformers need to garner widespread physician support; essential not only to pass any comprehensive measure, but to ensure its enduring success.

President Obama’s ability to convince enough doctors that reform will benefit their patients and facilitate the way physicians can best care for them, will be critical in determining health reform’s fate.

Enjoy the piece, and thanks to the New York Times for the opportunity to contribute.

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