Like you haven’t heard this story before. First, a polarizing bill gets passed by the legislature and is ultimately signed into law. Next the general public gets in an uproar, with lawsuits filed and argued all the way up to the Supreme Court. Disagreement about the right thing to do and whether the law should be upheld and implemented seems to be the order of the day.

Actually, you’ve heard this story twice before, as the above narrative applies to both Obamacare and Arizona’s SB1070 immigration law, but the stories diverge when you consider what’s been going on with the Real Arizona Coalition (RAC). In the two years since the controversial immigration bill’s passage, a bipartisan group of Arizona leaders have met well below the radar to take on tough subjects, hash out differences and develop a S.A.N.E. platform of principles for moving forward.

As imitation is the severest form of flattery, why not do the same for healthcare reform? Just as we are currently enmeshed in a dysfunctional immigration situation that’s producing negative economic, social, and cultural impacts in our state, so are we progressing through a painful series of stresses in health care with impacts in the same categories. Some may argue that there’s a difference between a state law and a federal law, but consider whether that’s just excusing responsibility for not taking action. The real difference is that thoughtful, bipartisan, seemingly opposing leaders stepped up to collaborate in one situation, while leaders still stand at odds in the other.