CTNJ Op-Ed: Labels matter in healthcare, especially the misleading ones

The President was right – healthcare is complicated. There are lots of reasons, but a big one is language. What something is called can add to or lessen understanding. Sometimes it can be deceptive, giving the impression of a more acceptable definition than the truth. It rarely works for long, but a lot of harm can happen in the meantime. When it’s revealed, it undermines trust for the future. The most recent example is the Office of Health Strategy’s project to cap healthcare costs, mislabelled as a much less scary “benchmark.” Read more