Rebuilding the Middle Class
« Previous Entries Friday, February 19th, 2010OptumHealthBank Sucks - The Future of Health Care Part II
I found out I have a Health Savings Account today.
Apparently, during my last months at a former employer - over fours years ago - I had signed up for a Health Savings Account through a company called OptumHealthBank.
I’ve gotten a few notices from this company before but they were so confusing I didn’t even realize […]
Why the Public Option Sucks!
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Representative Driehaus on Health Care
Steve Driehaus spoke to hundreds of supporters and critics of health-care reform last night at the First Unitarian Church.
Tea Party folks were given instructions before the meeting on how to disrupt the event. Apparently, opponents feel they cannot win without resorting to disruptive tactics.
Here’s some samples:
Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and […]
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009What Insurance Companies Want Health Care to Look Like
Last week, I received a mailing from United Health Care about my Health Savings Account.
The front page contained a very friendly letter with a nice green graphic urging me to check out my plan online. By logging into my account, it told me I could help estimate “out-of-pocket costs, potential tax savings and the future […]
Why Everyone Should Want a Public Health Care Option
I heard a very interesting discussion of our health care system this evening on NPR.
On the show, health care reform was framed like so: the government plays either the role of financier or the role of insurer.
In the role of financier, the government helps subsidize health care in some manner for those who can’t afford […]
The Trampling Death at Wal-Mart and the Financial Crisis
Listening to WLW (a local AM talk radio station) the other night, I happened to catch an interview with Paul Wertheimer about the Wal-Mart tragedy.
Wertheimer is an expert in crowd management. His career began after the 1979 Who concert in Cincinnati when he was appointed chief of staff of the citizen task force investigating the […]
Pass a Better Wall Street Bill
Dear Democrats,
I’m not sure if you realize this, but Republicans handed you a fantastic opportunity today by not passing the Wall Street bailout bill.
Facing pressure from constituents, 2/3 of Republicans failed to back the bill.
Here’s the political end-game they are playing and how this works to your advantage.
Republicans are betting that either a) more […]
When ‘Letting the Market Work’ Doesn’t Work
In the midst of what has been called the “worst economic crisis in our nation since the Great Depression,” it’s time to take a deep breath and step back from all the party blame.
Both sides are so busy blaming the other that the real underlying cause is being ignored. This issue is not a Democratic […]
Quality Health Care
I happened across an interview with Victoria Wulsin in CityBeat this week and was struck by her concise framing of the health care issue.
“What we all want is quality,” Wulsin said.
Wulsin believes what has gotten lost in the health care debate is the patient.
The current administration has focused the discussion on the concerns of the […]
A Call for Patient-Centered Healthcare
As Americans, we spend more on health care than any other nation and get less. Why is this the case?
Just for a second, I’d like to ask you to tune out all that you’ve heard about health care and to think like an insurance company. I used to work for an insurance company and here’s […]