About five years ago I read about a poster an employee had come up with in response to what he saw as his employer’s attempts to cut corners. The poster showed a triangle and read: "The Quality Triangle: Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick Any Two You Like!"*
The Quality Triangle came to mind when I was reading an article by Robert Samuelson on President Obama’s speech last week to Congress on health care. Mr. Samuelson said:
"Americans generally want three things from their health care system. First, they think that everyone has a moral right to needed care; that suggests universal insurance. Second, they want choice; they want to select their doctors -- and want doctors to determine treatment. Finally, people want costs controlled; health care shouldn't consume all private compensation or taxes."
As I read the article, I realized there is a "Health Care Triangle", too: Guaranteed Care. Right to Choose. Controlled Costs. And as with the Quality Triangle, you can pick any two.
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* The employee’s name was John Kafalas. Jared Sandberg, "Inspirational Posters Don’t Always Produce Anticipated Response," The Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2004.
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