I was waiting for it; it arrived yesterday. A denial letter. Yep, my attempt to secure an individual health insurance plan failed due to medical risk factors that LifeWise couldn’t deal with. Are you kidding?

Those of you who know me, know that I’m probably one of the healthiest people you’ll meet. I eat well, I sleep well, I keep stress low, I exercise (sometimes I even run!). I take my vitamins. I get bodywork.

A couple of years ago my low back started hurting, then my hip. It was really painful. I got some massage. I had a mercedes benz health plan thru my partner’s job at the time. So I went to the chiropractor, the acupuncturist, the DO. I got the recommended XRays and MRI. It got a scary sounding diagnosis. In the end it was massage 2 times a week for 3 weeks that did the trick. No problem since then.

Until now. Now that I’ve been denied coverage because I had some pain and took care of myself. I’m one of the latest causualities in the pre-existing condition debate.

Perhaps there will be change soon. Senator Ron Wyden was among 13 others who voted the Baccus bill out of committee yesterday.

The Oregon Health Fund Board (created by SB 329) is developing a comprehensive plan to ensure access to health care for Oregonians, contain health care costs, and address issues of quality in health care. They have a plan and they want to know what you think about it.

This links to a pdf of the “Final Recommendations” the document that intends to frame the course of health care reform in Oregon.

During September, the Board will conduct public forums across the state to receive feedback on this draft plan. In Portland the forum is Monday September 8, 2008 at the Convention Center from 6:30 to 9PM. I hope to see you there. For other meetings around Oregon look here.

I had the great honor of meeting and chatting with former gov Dr. John Kitzhaber about the momentum needed to address the current health care system and create a new vision of healthy Americans.

The Archimedes Movement – Dr. Kitzhaber’s brainchild founded in 2005 – held its first annual membership conference this past Saturday (6/14/08). I was deeply impressed by the two addresses Kitzhaber gave at the conference. Not only was his style entertaining and humble, but the content was educational.

I learned, for example, that the current health care system was a solution to problems that arose from the ashes of World War Two. In the 60 years that have passed since, the solution is now the problem. The system was originally designed to address acute care and infectious disease. The old system is not flexible enough to accommodate current needs such as patient education, prevention, and management of chronic diseases.

One of the arguments Archimedes is challenging is over the funding of health and a health care system. They challenge us all to consider what we are buying with the trillions of dollars we spend each year. Do we want to continue buying a broken system or do we want to pay for healthier Americans?

I hope you consider joining the discussion by getting involved with Archimedes or a similar effort. We are all stake holders (whether we want to be or not) and “we can do better.”