Why Affordable Care Matters...

The Affordable Care Act was upheld by the Supreme Court.  On the one hand, this matters a lot.  On the other hand, it may not.

I am a big believer that the decision is a significant milestone for public policy: we have many big problems to face and the Obama Administration, Congress and the Courts have found a way to make substantial progress on solving one of the hairiest: health care reform.  Obama Care is not perfect and it is still viewed through a highly partisan lens, but when it comes to other big problems we need to solve (climate change, education reform), the recent decision renews my faith that when the stars align, our country is still capable of making (incrementally) good policy.

On the other hand, as Bob Kocher and Mohit Kaushal point out in a recent Forbes article, there is a significant amount of innovation already happening in health care that may not but totally dependent on federal policy.  The unsustainable costs, the aging of our population, and the rise in chronic diseases are a gathering storm.  Entrepreneurs and investors have taken note and are building innovative businesses that increase access, improve personalization and strip out the inefficiencies of health care.

I personally look forward to new innovations in pay for performance that link reimbursement not just to procedures provided, but outcomes delivered.   

The Open Road

AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune;
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Strong and content, I travel the open road.

The opening to Walt Whitman's Song of the Open Road, a part of his poem Song of Myself, speaks to me as I consider the heady, early days of a new venture fund.

Whitman seeks an open, inclusive society, where "none but are accepted", and he brings a spirit of adventure and curiosity to his journey through the still young Republic, recovering from a Civil War and finding its way in a globalizing economy at the turn of the last century.

As the not so young Republic turns another century, buffeted by civic rancour and a turbulent global economy, we need the same intrepid spirit, the same openness to all comers, the same endurance, courage and health that Whitman summons in 1900.

The inspiration for this blog, Open Road Ventures, is to pay homage to Whitman's spirit while I chronicle the new pioneers of inclusive, high impact innovation who are pushing new boundaries in search for both social impact and financial returns.  From the innovations in emerging markets that I have been privileged to know at Acumen Fund, to new ideas transforming the American health,  education, finance, philanthropy and energy sectors, there are thousands of Whitman's now traveling the open roads, helping create a more just and sustainable Republic.

This blog will be dedicated to those traveling the Open Road, those starting or leading new hybrid ventures that are looking to combine impact with financial returns, and those looking to join them in a  professional journey marked by freedom, innovation, curiosity, inclusion, and impact.

From this hour, freedom!
From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute,
Listening to others, and considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.