When engaged in the health care debate, it is extremely important to remember that insurance is a professional whipping boy.
A whipping boy is a person that one pays to take the abuse for their misconduct.
The whipping boy is related to the professional straw man. We see professional straw men on TV all the time. Fox News hires ugly creatures Alan Colmes and Bob Beckel, then heap abuse on them. Professional pundits often actively seek abuse because it gets their precious brand in front of the public. Rush always gets a huge surge when his radio show is the focus of controversy.
I was looking at a site by a Wendell Potter who made a tonne of dough in PR for the insurance industry.
He now heaps abuse on insurance and gained even more money and more influence in his new role as watchdog, regulator and pundit.
PR (Public Relations) is a game in which professionals spin arguments to gain influence and achieve a variety of political objectives.
PR tends to have a negative effect on discourse, because the people "playing the PR game" are playing the discourse and not genuinely involved in the discourse.
Wendell Potter's associations page says he is proud member of both the Public Relations Society of America and Society of Professional Journalists while being a contributor to the Huffington Post ... a rag dedicated to spinning the news.
He attacks the PR of insurance while proudly maintaining the role of PR specialist. This type of thing makes bells ring in my skeptical heart.
The fact that someone is heaping abuse on insurance does not necessarily mean the person is genuinely pro-reform. A PR specialist who whips a professional whipping boy might actually just be gaming the system from a fun new angle.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Health Care Advocate Association™
ObamaCare (PPACA), RomneyCare and the Health Exchanges are all premised on the false assumption that insurance is the only way to fund health care.
I contend that the easiest way to challenge this assumption is to create an alternative to pooled insurance.
So, I created a mathematical model called "The Medical Savings and Loan." This model proves that it is possible to provide modern health care on a fee-for-service basis through a system of health savings accounts supplemented by loans and grants.
The Medical Savings and Loan restores the pricing mechanism in health and will lead to tremendous cost-savings along with a tremendous improvement in health care for the working class American.
The central feature of the program is a new position called the "Health Care Advocate." This position replaces the insurance agent, claims adjuster and medical transcriptionist position in insurance.
The primary difference between an insurance agent and the advocate is an insurance agent works for the insurance pool, while the health care advocate works directly for the clients in the MS&L.
This structural change comes by restructuring the accounts. With insurance, people place their health care resources in a pool owned by the insurance company. With the MS&L, people directly own their health care resources.
The positions follow the money. In standard insurance, a large corporation owns the resources; so insurance agents work for the insurance company. In the Medical Savings and Loan, people keep the bulk of their health care resources; the advocates work with their clients ... the people.
The Health Care Advocate Association™ is still in its organizational stage. If you wish to join the organization, please contact me for instructions. Joining the organization will cost one dollar (as defined in the Coinage Act of 1792).
The initial goal of the organization is to host an organizational meeting. Members of the organization will be polled and asked when and where to hold the organization meeting. The official web site of the HCAA is HCA.me.
I contend that the easiest way to challenge this assumption is to create an alternative to pooled insurance.
So, I created a mathematical model called "The Medical Savings and Loan." This model proves that it is possible to provide modern health care on a fee-for-service basis through a system of health savings accounts supplemented by loans and grants.
The Medical Savings and Loan restores the pricing mechanism in health and will lead to tremendous cost-savings along with a tremendous improvement in health care for the working class American.
The central feature of the program is a new position called the "Health Care Advocate." This position replaces the insurance agent, claims adjuster and medical transcriptionist position in insurance.
The primary difference between an insurance agent and the advocate is an insurance agent works for the insurance pool, while the health care advocate works directly for the clients in the MS&L.
This structural change comes by restructuring the accounts. With insurance, people place their health care resources in a pool owned by the insurance company. With the MS&L, people directly own their health care resources.
The positions follow the money. In standard insurance, a large corporation owns the resources; so insurance agents work for the insurance company. In the Medical Savings and Loan, people keep the bulk of their health care resources; the advocates work with their clients ... the people.
The Health Care Advocate Association™ is still in its organizational stage. If you wish to join the organization, please contact me for instructions. Joining the organization will cost one dollar (as defined in the Coinage Act of 1792).
The initial goal of the organization is to host an organizational meeting. Members of the organization will be polled and asked when and where to hold the organization meeting. The official web site of the HCAA is HCA.me.
Thrown for a Loop
I have to apologize. The complete lack of sales for cyber weekend threw me for a loop.
I sincerely believe that health care is the most important issue of our day.
Conservatives completely choked on the issue. The Republican Party played a snide game in which they sought to capture ObamaCare and have suppressed discussion of real free market reform.
If a group began discussing real free market health care reform, that group could have a profound impact. But I've been unable to find such a discussion.
I've spent every last penny I had trying to find someone willing to invest the two hours to discussion the most important issue of our generation.
I find it bizarre beyond belief that Conservatives immediately slam the door when a person brings up the topic.
I spent every penny I had trying to find anyone willing to discuss free market health care. The conversation involves the mathematics of funding health care and what if scenarios. The conversation requires feedback and cannot be done on a blog.
The argument is that we would get more and better care if we restored the concept of self funded health care and fee-for-service medicine. To make this argument, I must develop a model for group-funded care and a model for self-funded care and compare the two.
This simply cannot be done in a blog post!
Blogs are great for agitation. They are not a good format for developing ideas. Developing ideas is best done in face to face conversations with instant feedback.
Sadly, I live in Utah (which is renown for its closed-mindedness). The LDS Church is 100% committed to the idea of socializing medicine through health exchanges. Every major LDS politician favors a form of ObamaCare. Harry Reid was a primary author of PPACA, which was based on RomneyCare. The Leavitt Insurance Agency by former governor Mike Leavitt is heavily invested in health exchanges. Former Governor Jon Huntsman and current Governor Gary Herbert are committed to implementing the Health Exchanges of PPACA.
Utah is a closed society which reviles open discourse. This picture shows the sum total of people at the Utah Stand Up for Freedom Rally. This rally was well publicized by Glenn Beck, the national and local media. Only about 200 people in a metropolitan area of two million showed up for the most publicized Health Care event of 2012. The speakers, families of the speakers and media made up half the total.
I've written to every conservative and libertarian group I can find in Utah. There is not a single group in this state willing to discuss free market health care reform.
The Republican strategy in Utah was simply to vilify Obama, with hopes of capturing ObamaCare, which would be rebranded as RomneyCare.
What the Republicans did was insidious. The campaign to capture and rebrand ObamaCare was not real debate it was simply the cunning strategy of right wing rogues.
I want real debate and have been seeking to find a group to discuss real free market health care.
This means I must travel. I figure the best bet is Arizona. Phoenix is about 663 miles away. 40 gallons of gas to get there and back. It is warm and I can sleep in my car. I also need an oil change.
I would love to take one last shot at getting people together to discuss free market health care reform. I am certain that if a group of liberty leaning folks would see my presentation, that the argument I put forward could help defeat ObamaCare.
I was really hoping that I would make something off my web sites this holiday season. Seeing that it won't happen was extremely disappointing.
I sincerely believe that health care is the most important issue of our day.
Conservatives completely choked on the issue. The Republican Party played a snide game in which they sought to capture ObamaCare and have suppressed discussion of real free market reform.
If a group began discussing real free market health care reform, that group could have a profound impact. But I've been unable to find such a discussion.
I've spent every last penny I had trying to find someone willing to invest the two hours to discussion the most important issue of our generation.
I find it bizarre beyond belief that Conservatives immediately slam the door when a person brings up the topic.
I spent every penny I had trying to find anyone willing to discuss free market health care. The conversation involves the mathematics of funding health care and what if scenarios. The conversation requires feedback and cannot be done on a blog.
The argument is that we would get more and better care if we restored the concept of self funded health care and fee-for-service medicine. To make this argument, I must develop a model for group-funded care and a model for self-funded care and compare the two.
This simply cannot be done in a blog post!
Blogs are great for agitation. They are not a good format for developing ideas. Developing ideas is best done in face to face conversations with instant feedback.
Sadly, I live in Utah (which is renown for its closed-mindedness). The LDS Church is 100% committed to the idea of socializing medicine through health exchanges. Every major LDS politician favors a form of ObamaCare. Harry Reid was a primary author of PPACA, which was based on RomneyCare. The Leavitt Insurance Agency by former governor Mike Leavitt is heavily invested in health exchanges. Former Governor Jon Huntsman and current Governor Gary Herbert are committed to implementing the Health Exchanges of PPACA.
Utah is a closed society which reviles open discourse. This picture shows the sum total of people at the Utah Stand Up for Freedom Rally. This rally was well publicized by Glenn Beck, the national and local media. Only about 200 people in a metropolitan area of two million showed up for the most publicized Health Care event of 2012. The speakers, families of the speakers and media made up half the total.
I've written to every conservative and libertarian group I can find in Utah. There is not a single group in this state willing to discuss free market health care reform.
The Republican strategy in Utah was simply to vilify Obama, with hopes of capturing ObamaCare, which would be rebranded as RomneyCare.
What the Republicans did was insidious. The campaign to capture and rebrand ObamaCare was not real debate it was simply the cunning strategy of right wing rogues.
I want real debate and have been seeking to find a group to discuss real free market health care.
This means I must travel. I figure the best bet is Arizona. Phoenix is about 663 miles away. 40 gallons of gas to get there and back. It is warm and I can sleep in my car. I also need an oil change.
I would love to take one last shot at getting people together to discuss free market health care reform. I am certain that if a group of liberty leaning folks would see my presentation, that the argument I put forward could help defeat ObamaCare.
I was really hoping that I would make something off my web sites this holiday season. Seeing that it won't happen was extremely disappointing.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Site Launch
I've been filling out forms and paying registration fees for the new association.
While I wait for the wheels of governance to churn, I am updating the site HCA.me in preparation of the new association.
The site uses the Community Color user database (register). The site will include a calendar, directory, messaging system and features specific for the Health Care Advocates.
While I wait for the wheels of governance to churn, I am updating the site HCA.me in preparation of the new association.
The site uses the Community Color user database (register). The site will include a calendar, directory, messaging system and features specific for the Health Care Advocates.
How to Start an Association
Happy Cyber Monday!
The weakest part of ObamaCare is the insurance mandate. The best way to defeat ObamaCare is to create a viable alternative to insurance.
Funding health care is a business problem, not a government problem. To restore the free market, we need a business solution!
Creating a business solution to a problem as complex as health care requires more than a single business. It will require a network of businesses.
The best path to creating a network of businesses is to create a business association.
The proper way to start an association is for a group of like minded people to get together and form an organizing committee that would then register and form the legal structure for the association.
There is a catch here.
Lets say a group is getting together to start an organization. Any jokester who hears about the effort can throw a wrench in the works by registering the name of the association as a business.
For the last couple years, I've tried to take the tact of hosting a meeting with people angry about ObamaCare. The meeting would end with the primary action item of starting a business association and publishing a book. The group would select a spokesman, chairman, etc..
(The book is mostly written, but needs editing. I would have given co-authorship to anyone wanting to add a chapter or help edit the book.)
Starting the association and publishing the book would cost a couple grand. The group would
Unfortunately, there is one big catch to this plan.
If I announced the name I wanted to use for the association, anyone wanting to throw a wrench in the works would simply run out and register the association name as a business.
This is a common tact used by progressives in Utah. Progressives give a badge of honor to anyone who creates legal challenges for Libertarians or Conservatives who try to start businesses.
So, I did not want to tell people my agenda. I wanted to have the meeting that spoke about free market health care reform. If there were people at the meeting wanting to stand up for liberty, I would take them aside and we would start the association.
Anyway, I decided to take one last shot at starting a conversation on free market health care reform.
I am registering all the trademarks needed to secure the business name.
This process is expensive.
A few years back I created a coupon site to test affiliate marketing called AFountainOfBargians.com . The commissions from any sales will go toward the association and the defense of free market health care.
I will announce more about the association later this week.
The weakest part of ObamaCare is the insurance mandate. The best way to defeat ObamaCare is to create a viable alternative to insurance.
Funding health care is a business problem, not a government problem. To restore the free market, we need a business solution!
Creating a business solution to a problem as complex as health care requires more than a single business. It will require a network of businesses.
The best path to creating a network of businesses is to create a business association.
The proper way to start an association is for a group of like minded people to get together and form an organizing committee that would then register and form the legal structure for the association.
There is a catch here.
Lets say a group is getting together to start an organization. Any jokester who hears about the effort can throw a wrench in the works by registering the name of the association as a business.
For the last couple years, I've tried to take the tact of hosting a meeting with people angry about ObamaCare. The meeting would end with the primary action item of starting a business association and publishing a book. The group would select a spokesman, chairman, etc..
(The book is mostly written, but needs editing. I would have given co-authorship to anyone wanting to add a chapter or help edit the book.)
Starting the association and publishing the book would cost a couple grand. The group would
Unfortunately, there is one big catch to this plan.
If I announced the name I wanted to use for the association, anyone wanting to throw a wrench in the works would simply run out and register the association name as a business.
This is a common tact used by progressives in Utah. Progressives give a badge of honor to anyone who creates legal challenges for Libertarians or Conservatives who try to start businesses.
So, I did not want to tell people my agenda. I wanted to have the meeting that spoke about free market health care reform. If there were people at the meeting wanting to stand up for liberty, I would take them aside and we would start the association.
Anyway, I decided to take one last shot at starting a conversation on free market health care reform.
I am registering all the trademarks needed to secure the business name.
This process is expensive.
A few years back I created a coupon site to test affiliate marketing called AFountainOfBargians.com . The commissions from any sales will go toward the association and the defense of free market health care.
I will announce more about the association later this week.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Ok Surgery Center
I just watched a wonderful video about the Surgery Center of Oklahoma which engages in the radical process of publishing prices for its services online.
Publishing prices is unheard of in the modern medical industry which has learned to keep such information secret from patients.
The video by Reason TV claims that many doctors are wanting to take this route. The Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS) in Tucson also advocates a return to fee-for-service medicine.
Unfortunately, the problem in health care is not coming from the doctors. As wonderful as they are, doctors are unable to fix the problem in health care.<
The problems in health care come from the financial sector. For the last half century, corporate America has attempted to use group funding for individual consumption. This experiment in socializing medicine at the corporate level broke the pricing mechanism and led widespread abuse.
The solution is to restore the concept of self-funded care.
The only way to restore the concept of self-funded health care is to create a structured program to help people self-fund their care. I have worked for many in great detail on this subject and have a mechanism to restore self-funded care.
Because the problems lie in the financial sector, there needs to be a financial solution to the problem. I've been trying for four years to find people brave enough to discuss free market health care reform. I hope to take one more stab at this problem. I will make a big announcement next week. Enjoy the video. If you are doing Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping, please visit my affiliate site aFountainOfBargains.com any commissions I receive will go to the project.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving & a Last Ditch Effort
I decided to make one last ditch effort at hosting a meeting on free market health care reform.
To get the engine rolling, I had to file some legal documents earlier this week. I will give details on this effort next week when I get the paperwork back from the State.
Personally, I think it absurd that in this last four years of debate about health care that not a single Conservative has been willing to invest an evening to discuss free market health care reform.
Albeit. I live in Utah. Utah sports a different brand of Conservatism than the rest of the nation.
The plan still involves a trip to either Arizona, Colorado, Nevada or possibly Southern California. Since it is winter, I am inclined to go to Arizona since I could sleep outside and avoid the hotel cost.
I figure the cost of travel plus renting a meeting space in Arizona would cost from $500 to $750. Travel to Colorado or Southern California would cost $1000 to $1500.
Driving to Texas would probably cost $1500 to $2000. Driving to Florida would cost upwards to $3000.
I spent my every last penny in 2010. I am dead broke.
But today is Thanksgiving.
Which means that tomorrow is Black Friday.
The commissions on any sales from my e-commerce site A Fountain of Bargains will go to paying for this last ditch effort to promote free market health care reform.
Happy Thanksgiving.
To get the engine rolling, I had to file some legal documents earlier this week. I will give details on this effort next week when I get the paperwork back from the State.
Personally, I think it absurd that in this last four years of debate about health care that not a single Conservative has been willing to invest an evening to discuss free market health care reform.
Albeit. I live in Utah. Utah sports a different brand of Conservatism than the rest of the nation.
The plan still involves a trip to either Arizona, Colorado, Nevada or possibly Southern California. Since it is winter, I am inclined to go to Arizona since I could sleep outside and avoid the hotel cost.
I figure the cost of travel plus renting a meeting space in Arizona would cost from $500 to $750. Travel to Colorado or Southern California would cost $1000 to $1500.
Driving to Texas would probably cost $1500 to $2000. Driving to Florida would cost upwards to $3000.
I spent my every last penny in 2010. I am dead broke.
But today is Thanksgiving.
Which means that tomorrow is Black Friday.
The commissions on any sales from my e-commerce site A Fountain of Bargains will go to paying for this last ditch effort to promote free market health care reform.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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