Posts
Today’s post marks the thirteenth anniversary of Health Insurance Issues With Dave. Thirteen years and 325 posts. A surprisingly large number of you have been regular readers for years. Others, like some agents in Arizona and California, are new to these posts. I started on BlogSpot and added the WordPress version on my website. Some of you are reading this on the AOL Patch system and others on Linked In. Four different locations and four different formats.
At the top of each post are the four guiding principles of this blog:
- PURPOSE Short Articles designed to illuminate different aspects of the health care discussion.
- CORE PREMISE If you think you know all the answers, you probably don't understand all of the questions.
- CENTRAL BELIEF Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
- AUDIENCE Our current health care system impacts all Americans.
Some of the articles weren’t quite that short.
My first post focused on an elderly gentleman with multiple health issues who was waiting for a kidney. Should he get one before a younger, healthier individual? Should we pay for this through Medicare? Who decides? The post then notes:
The payment and delivery of health care in the United States must change. There is too much pressure, political and financial, for Congress to ignore. This is good. Our current system is a hodgepodge of stop-gap measures masquerading as a solution. Unfortunately, some of the most vocal proponents of change have some of the most unrealistic answers to this question. We can not have unfettered access to any and all care without restriction or cost.
Since then I interviewed hospital administrators, elected representatives and their staffs, and had a couple of guest posts. I have analyzed both the Democratic proposals and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as well as the Republican proposals. And when our entire system was under attack by either the State of Texas or the White House, I didn’t shy away from detailing exactly how we would all be impacted by their blatant disregard for our access to health care. Though a Centrist Democrat, I have ticked off Democrats and Republicans equally. The truth, as I saw it, was my goal. I hope that I have come close.
I’ve had a lot of fun doing this. When the editors of the local AOL Patch came to my office and asked for me to post on their then 17 local publications, they said that I needed to have a picture. The pictures were a new element and a challenge. I hope that you have enjoyed some of them. The links are often my favorite part of each blog.
It was important to me that this blog was more than just my opinion. The links are what made the difference. It wasn’t enough to cite a law or a court case. The blog linked you to the actual document. And when the Supreme Court weighed in, you were linked to both the decision and to SCOTUS Blog, the definitive analysis of each decision. Details. The internet and cable TV are filled with opinions. It was my goal to provide enough information that you could, if you wanted, read the source material and form your own opinions.
And speaking of fun, some of my readers search the blogs for the links to the songs. Every blog has at least one. Always topical and often of a live performance, the music allowed me to add a bit of levity to some very serious posts. Some politicians even had their own theme songs.
I never imagined doing this for thirteen years. Thank you for indulging me. Thank you to the attorneys, financial planners, CPA’s, and bankers who have forwarded this blog to their clients in an effort to explain our health insurance system. Thank you to the insurance agents around the country who use this blog as a resource and are kind enough to let me know. And thank you, all of you, who take the time to email me your thoughts. It is the feedback that lets me know that I’m not talking to myself.
One of our traditions is to make a donation to a charity in honor of a young man becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Should you be so inclined, please consider your local food bank.
Dave
Picture – The Proud Parent – David L Cunix
