.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The health care reform bill was labeled by many as being too ambitious, too complex, just too much at once. But in the end, it still wasn’t enough to cover everything that needs adjustment in the American insurance system.

At last week’s Power Breakfast hosted by the Business Record, the panelists who were unhappy with the bill’s passage mentioned concerns that weren’t addressed.

“It didn’t really reform that much,” said Jim Swift, CEO of Holmes Murphy & Associates. He said “the soft costs in the bill are enormous,” and he sees those costs being passed along to consumers.

Joel Duncan, CEO of Merit Resources, said he was disappointed because small businesses were left to struggle with huge increases in health insurance premiums.

Michael Kitchell, president of the Iowa Medical Society, said the bill doesn’t resolve the issue of tort reform.

J. Kirk Norris, president of the Iowa Hospital Association, was the most optimistic of the bunch, but referred to the “angst” of his group’s members regarding diminishing resources.

All of these issues will be tackled someday, and the time might not be that far off. Assuming that the bill will remain in place, we expect that the nation’s health-care system will adapt fairly easily to the new rules as they gradually phase in.

But more will have been done by the time the 2014 changes kick in. No matter how the political landscape shifts, expect more tinkering.

In the weeks leading up to the vote, Congressional Republicans wanted to throw the whole thing out and start over. Now that it’s in place, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Republicans adding pieces of legislation, rather than subtracting, when they eventually return to power.

Although the Republicans claim to be the party of small government, they sure didn’t live that dream during the administration of President George W. Bush. No matter who’s in control, history suggests we’ll get more regulation, not less.