From the President who made social media a key tool in his campaign comes the biggest news for health care, pharmaceuticals, biotech and medical device manufacturers yet: an articulated vision for health care reform that is gaining traction.
What the final legislation will look like is anyone’s guess:
- Will it be, as The New England Journal of Medicine suggests a “value-based system”?
- Will pharmacists be paid more to better manage patient care, as The Chicago Tribune reports?
- Will insurers mount a “Harry and Louise Redux” campaign?
The Revolution Will Be Tweeted
As reported in the LA Times, medical bills play a role in 62% of bankruptcies. That makes any argument in favor of universal coverage much more personal to an America already reeling from recession. And much more difficult for lobbyists to spin. How can Beltway Bandits contend with a president who features Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Vimeo and iTunes on the official WhiteHouse.gov website?
Pharma, Biotech and Device Manufacturers Should Go Grassroots
The Democrats are going “town hall” with thousands of community events, like the kick off tonight in Asheville North Carolina [registration required]. Can industry respond in kind? In my opinion, no. There are neither sufficient resources nor time to organize. But industry can appeal to those who have benefited from life-saving treatments.
Companies like J&J and Cougar Biotechnology should reach out to self-funded health care evangelists like Lynn Lane, a cancer survivor who started the Voices of Survivors Project” building a library of first person video testimonials in record time, a blog, Facebook Page, and Twitter presence. These are the people to carry the message “we need innovative treatments” to Congress.
What do you think?
Is there a role for citizen advocates in a debate this big? Should we just “leave it to the politicians”? Comments welcomed and appreciated.
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Thank you so much for your support of “Voices of Survivors”. This year promises to be an amazing one. I will launch new projects, a new website and many new ‘Survivors’ will share their ‘voices’ in a variety of documentary formats sharing their stories of ‘Survivorship’.
Sincerely,
Lynn Lane
Voices of Survivors