Health Insurance Issues With Dave may have run its course. My April post was designed to have been my last. I had called my shot. I had made my prediction for the delivery and payment of health care in the United States. Short of a major U-turn, the changes I have described seem inevitable. So having said what I had to say, it was time to sit back and monitor the conversation.
Published Comments – O! Don’t get me wrong, the post was well read and generated lots and lots of feedback. Sadly, the phone conversations and emails were all private. Thoughtful. Concerned. Interesting. Private. No one wanted to go on record. No one wanted to have his/her ideas examined, the conclusions challenged.
We, all of us, need to continue talking, and even occasionally listening. Well, listening may be just pie in the sky, but I will provide the opportunity for further communication.
In other words, I’m back.
I received an email from a client last week. Janet (name changed to make my attorney happy) is a member of a grassroots organization called The Ohio Project. Would I sign their petition? Did I want to participate? Their goal is to pass an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would give Ohioans the right to opt our of health insurance, especially government mandated coverage.
I went to the site and read all of it, the amendment, the petition, even the training material. I DID NOT SIGN THE PETITION and I can not participate.
My problem was that I could not find any solutions on the Ohio Project’s website. There is a focus on being “forced” to participate in the system as a responsible player. My perspective has always been that our system won’t ever work if people can opt out up until the moment they need care. This blog has consistently delivered that message, most notably in the August 21, 2009 post. We need everyone to participate, the sick and the healthy, the young and the old.
My client’s concern, first and foremost, was to stop the government from forcing her to buy insurance. I asked Janet what plans The Ohio Project had to fix the system. She told me that they don’t have any solutions and that solutions aren’t their problem. The Ohio Project views the requirement to purchase insurance invasive and unconstitutional. I should note that Janet is well insured. Always has been. Always will be. This is a battle built on principle. Janet, and many like her, have drawn a line in the sand. This is where they have chosen to take a stand.
I strongly disagree with the members of The Ohio Project, but I welcome their participation. There is a natural progression from objecting to a government program or policy, to actively challenging said program or policy, to thinking about a more functional solution. And that is what we need. It has been said that the opposite of love isn’t hate. It is apathy. I am thrilled to have the members of The Ohio Project out and about. I am hoping that their energy will generate new ideas.
So I’m back. Let’s ride out this storm together.
DAVE
Great to have you back, Dave. You are 100 percent correct. People who criticize something without offering a better solution don't win any sympathy from me either. I've enjoyed this blog from the moment I first saw it and hope you will provide insights on whether the reform bill is actually meeting its objectives.
Let's make this very clear – solutions are everyone's problem and responsibility.