That’s a good question! Do you have the answer???
It’s not unusual for people to look to their employee benefits broker to help demystify the concept(s) being promoted by the 20+ presidential candidates and the 20-fold state legislators around the country who are trying to get some type of ‘universal’ health care in place.
It is up to us, therefore, to know the difference between Medicare For All, Medicare Buy-in, Public Option, Single Payer, and Universal Coverage - and to be able to articulate the difference in understandable sound bytes, whether we are talking to our clients’ employees, business and community groups, or government and legislative representatives and staff. Here’s some helpful advice on how to respond when asked:
Get connected. If you are a member of NAHU, take a few minutes every day to scan the Daily Newswire, which is delivered to your email inbox full of articles about health care news around the country. (If you are not a member of NAHU, check it out at wwww.nahu.org) Follow thought leaders and organizations on social media networks to keep abreast of the latest ideas, laws and challenges. Linked in is my ‘go to’ source for reading the industry news and trends, and I also like to follow individuals and organizations, such as Partnership for America’s Health Care Future. https://americashealthcarefuture.org/
Dig deeper. If someone throws a term your way, ask what they mean by it. Maybe they are calling something by one name and mean something totally different. ‘Medicare For All’ is as much a rallying cry in 2019 as ‘Repeal and Replace’ was a few years ago. It sounds good – so good that a 2018 Reuters’ poll reported that 70% of Americans support Medicare For All – but you can bet that the respondents do not all share the same vision or definition. And speaking of statistics, dig deeper there as well. How many people actually participated in the poll? Do you trust the source of the poll? Can you obtain the actual poll results before sharing stats?
Share your wealth (of information, that is). You can help facilitate intelligent discussion and help create responsible legislation by learning all you can about the many flavors of universal health care. Just last week, Reid Rasmussen delivered a 2 CE program to Maine insurance brokers at the Maine AHU member meeting in Portland. For a copy of Reid’s slide deck, and a recording of his recent live presentation, go to www.maineahu.org/events .
Tell your story. In headlines and hearings, we hear human stories of hardship where insurance failed to pay for someone’s treatment and where the United States ‘system’ is broken. But there are other stories to tell of life saving treatment that was made possible by our health insurance system, and by the efforts of your expertise and assistance selecting the right plan for your clients.
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