Thank you each and every one of you who were able to take the time to attend the Day on the Hill sessions in February. There is a great need for our association to be able to communicate and educate the legislators on the impacts of any legislation proposed for the insurance industry. The activity of our association remains even more important since in early March, Healthy Wisconsin was again introduced as a separate bill. We need to continue as an association in concert with other associations who represent our industry to work together to assist the legislators in framing legislation that  is  practical and beneficial for consumers. Your continued efforts to support WAHU by participating in Chapter and Statewide meetings is incredibly valuable. Let me be the first to thank you for your willingness to devote some time to the effort. 

As we move forward throughout the year and observe the direction of the political process at the national level, it is important to be able to place into context some of the comments which are published in the media and stated by the politicians. I have a copy of a letter that someone sent from Canada which I would like for each and every one of you to read.   

I saw on the news up here in Canada where Hillary Clinton introduced her new health care plan. Something similar to what we have in Canada. I also heard that Michael Moore was raving about the health care up here in Canada in his latest movie. As your friend and someone who lives with the Canada health care plan, I thought I would give you some facts about this great medical plan that we have in Canada.

First of all:

1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a premium every month of $96. for my wife and I to be covered. Sounds great eh. What they don't tell you is how much we pay in taxes to keep the health care system afloat. I am personally in the 55% tax bracket. Yes 55% of my earnings go to taxes. A large portion of that and I am not sure of the exact amount goes directly to health care our #1 expense.

2) I would not classify what we have as health care plan, it is more like a health diagnosis system. You can get into to see a doctor quick enough so he can tell you 'yes indeed you are sick or you need an operation' but now the challenge becomes getting treated or operated on. We have waiting lists out the ying yang some as much as 2 years down the road.

3) Rather than fix what is wrong with you the usual tactic in Canada is to prescribe drugs. Have a pain here is a drug to take- not what is causing the pain and why. No time for checking you out because it is more important to move as many patients thru as possible each hour for Government re-imbursement.

4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.

5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in the emergency room waiting for treatment.

6) Shirley's dad cut his hand on a power saw a few weeks back and it required that his hand be put in a splint - to our surprise we had to pay $125. for a splint because it is not covered under health care plus we have to pay $60. for each visit for him to check it out each week.

7) Shirley's cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage. Put on a waiting list Died before he could get treatment.

8) Government allots so many operations per year. When that is done no more operations, unless you go to your local newspaper and plead your case and embarrass the government then money suddenly appears.

9)The Government takes great pride in telling us how much more they are increasing the funding for health care but waiting lists never get shorter. Government just keeps throwing money at the problem but it never goes away. But they are good at finding new ways to tax us, but they don't call it a tax anymore it is now a user fee.

10) A friend needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite paying into the health care system all these years. My friend is 65 years old. Now there is talk that maybe we should not treat fat and obese people either because they are a drain on the health care system. Let me see now, what we want in Canada is a health care system for healthy people only. That should reduce our health care costs.

11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.

12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze, cigarettes, junk food and anything else that could kill me but I am not allowed by law to spend my money on getting an operation I need because that would be jumping the queue I must wait my turn except if I am a hockey player or athlete then I can get looked at right away. Go figger. Where else in the world can you spend money to kill yourself but not allowed to spend money to get healthy.

13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically at tax payer expense having never contributed a dollar to the system and pay no premiums.

14) Oh yeh we now give free needles to drug users to try and keep them healthy. Wouldn't want a sickly druggie breaking into your house and stealing your things. But people with diabetes who pay into the health care system have to pay for their needles because it is not covered by the health care system.

I send this out not looking for sympathy but as the election looms in the states you will be hearing more and more about universal health care down there and the advocates will be pointing to Canada. I just want to make sure that you hear the truth about health care up here and have some food for thought and informed questions to ask when broached with this subject.

Step wisely and don't make the same mistakes we have.

After reading this actual letter, please keep some of these facts in mind when someone tries to convince the American public that the Canadian style health care model should be adopted in this country. When you think of Healthy Wisconsin and the lack of any true mechanisms in that program to address the spiraling cost of health care, where do you think our taxes will be to fund such a program as the years go by? Do you think that physicians and hospital systems are going to accept lower reimbursements in the future to help fund the shortfalls which will undoubtedly occur in a program like Healthy Wisconsin? These are very compelling and profound issues that quite frankly are not addressed in all the rhetoric surrounding the free health care of Healthy Wisconsin. 

With all the activity this year on the political front, it is essential that each WAHU member responsibly and seriously accepts their role as the voice of reason and common sense in the discussion surrounding health care reform. The solutions need to be sustainable and viable, and most importantly, understand that the underlying problem is spiraling medical costs in this country and until someone is willing to realistically study and examine the reasons for these out of control medical costs, it will continue to be the insurance industry viewed as the culprit. It is our responsibility to understand the real reasons for the current dilemma, and continue to propose solutions that are practical and viable in the future. 

Please continue to remain active in WAHU in order to continue the debate of resolving this continual health care debate. Your program committee is working on the agenda for the Annual Fall Sales Conference in September at Chula Vista in Wisconsin Dells.

Please reserve the dates of September 17th through the 19th to learn more about the solutions and become positive advocates for change. 

Thank you for allowing me to represent you on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Allan M. Wearing