I voted for Barack Obama for president. Yeah, I know, admitting that probably isn't the best way to win fans around here. But for those of you tempted to stop reading now, let me quickly say that this month's column is for you.
One of the reasons I supported President Obama is because I was convinced that, regardless of his personal opinions, he was the type of leader who would sit down and listen to all sides before making a decision -- and I still believe that. His early actions seem to indicate he's willing to embrace differences -- he feels that, by challenging our own beliefs and considering other viewpoints, we end up with a better decision. Unfortunately, not everybody in his party seems to buy into this.
My friend (and former Benefits Selling columnist) Sharon Alt was in Washington D.C. recently with the American Bankers Association HSA Council to meet with several legislators about the future of health savings accounts. When she and her colleagues walked into the office of one prominent Democratic senator, they weren't exactly welcomed with open arms. In fact, his legislative aide told the group she was not at all a fan of HSAs, that nothing they could say would change her mind, and that she wasn't even sure why they were there. She went on to say that the conference room was occupied and that if they still wanted to meet they'd have to stand out in the hall.
I don't know about you, but this complete refusal to even listen to the other side seems a bit childish to me -- like when a young kid puts her hands over her ears and says "Na na na na, I can't hear you." That's not really the way I want my elected officials to behave -- regardless of which side of the aisle they're on.
But then I got to thinking -- aren't we in the insurance industry sometimes guilty of the same thing? Most of the agents I know seem to be so convinced that health insurance should remain in the private market that they quickly dismiss any argument to the contrary -- without even listening to what the other person has to say. As an industry, we make very little attempt to find common ground with our opponents.
It was for this very reason that, two years ago, Sharon and I wrote a play called "America's Health Care System on Trial." We recognized that, while both sides are busy lobbying their legislators and making their arguments to the media, neither seems to be listening to what the other has to say. So, to give both sides an equal chance to make their point, we created a mock trial.
This three-hour event, which began as a continuing education course at the Texas Association of Health Underwriters annual convention in May 1997, has now been performed 14 times across the country for various insurance groups. In the trial, I play the role of the prosecuting attorney, arguing that health insurance companies should be abolished and that the government should take over the role of financing America's health care. Sharon plays the role of the defense attorney, arguing that, while there certainly are problems with the health care financing system, these problems are best dealt with by the private market. To prove our point, each of us calls "expert witnesses" and presents "evidence" and "exhibits" to the jury.
Our very colorful witnesses are selected from the groups we're presenting to. And while the roles change from trial to trial, some of our witnesses have included a pregnant Hooters waitress (uninsured consumer), Santa Claus (mid-sized employer), a pirate (health care executive), the Geico Caveman (self-sufficient consumer who doesn't need the help of a middle-man to buy health insurance), a hippie (single-payer advocate), and Joe the Plumber (would-be business owner who can't afford mandatory health insurance). Many of our exhibits are found on YouTube.
The point of the trial -- which Sharon inevitably wins because the jury is always tainted -- is that there are two sides to the health care debate, and if we're not listening to what the other side has to say we're doing ourselves a disservice. There are no bad guys in this argument -- each side has the same goal in mind: to provide better health care to more Americans at a lower price. We just disagree on the best way to reach this goal. In reality, the solution probably lies somewhere between the two arguments -- but we're never going to find it unless we take our hands off our ears and start listening to what the other side has to say.
To learn more about the health care trial, or to find out how to bring this course to your group, please send me an e-mail.
Eric Johnson can be reached at 817-366-7536 or eric.johnson@agentallies.com.
