The issues associated with the current healthcare legislation are long and complex. However, there are a few simple topics that are at the heart of the matter.

I would like to present a few of them here, and open up this post for your thoughts and perspectives.

To begin, I would like to recap the three basic goals that President Obama made in his September 9th address:

1) To provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
What this means: a) it will be against the law for your insurance company to drop you because of a pre-existing condition, b) insurers cannot place an arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage in a year or a lifetime, c) a limit will be placed on out of pocket expenses, and d) insurers will be required to cover, at no extra charge, routine and preventative care.

2) Provide insurance for those who do not have access.
What this means: a) if you loose or change your job – you’ll be able to get coverage, b) small businesses will get tax credits to offset the costs of providing insurance, c) a new insurance exchange will be created to assist individuals and small businesses have access to affordable insurance and d) individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance (similar to auto insurance) – provided by themselves or through their employers.

3) Slow the costs of healthcare for our families, businesses and government.
What this means: a) the President will not sign a bill that increases the deficit to fund these programs, b) most of the costs of these plans can be paid for by savings within the healthcare system itself, c) reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicade and d) revenues from drug and insurance companies that will benefit from millions of new customers.

Now what does all this really mean? Can we do it?

A big part of the problem may be if Congress can act in a bi-partisan fashion and implement a roll out of this plan in the current economy. This is no small act.

Additionally, how do you pragmatically change the system without healthcare professionals becoming nervous?

How does this really effect the small business owner and, as stated above, the individual who will be required to obtain basic health insurance. And just what is “basic health insurance”?

I do not think anyone believes that the system can continue to operate like it has done over the past 20 years, and that reform is much needed.

I’d like to open this forum up and have our community provide perspective and constructive feedback on the goals of the White House.

Thank you in advance for your time and comments!

In 1443, a duke of Burgandy, Nicolas Rolin, founded one of the first hospitals for the poor and needy in what is today, Beaune, France.  The Hotel-Dieu had provided continuous healthcare for the Burgundy region until a new hospital was built for the city  in 1962.  The shining example of medievil Burgundy architecture served the public for a period of over 500 years.

Today, the historic Hospice building is the center piece of Beaune, and is the site each year of the “Vente aux enchères des vins des Hospices de Beaune” wine auction.  This Burgandy wine festival features the auctioning off of that year’s grape harvest right after its first fermentation. These wines are from only from the lands and vineyards that have been donated to the Hospice over the last 5 centuries.

This year will be the 149th edition of the fabled wine auction.  This wine auction’s proceeds support most of the financial needs of the hospital each year.

For more information, please use the link to the official site, and to see more photographs of one of Europe’s original hospitals.

Barrell Tasting