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Re: Health Insurance Shenanigans

Alan, with four simple words, you made my head explode. Figuratively. Brains splattered all over the ceiling. No, I am not meshuga. Well, only a little. The four words: "But wait, there's more!"

In 1973 I got my first job as a copywriter in a Providence, RI ad agency. The copy chief was Arthur Schiff, a talented guy with deep intellect. I stayed two years and learned a lot from Arthur. Later in the 1970s Arthur left the agency to join Dial Media in Warwick, RI. They created the famed Ginsu Knife direct-sales TV commercials. "But wait, there's more!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schiff. For a time, I myself wrote direct-response commercials for another RI company in the same line of work.

Awesome memory, but that's not why I'm scraping brains off the ceiling. It struck me that Ginsu hard-sell but entertaining and amusing commercials, and those for other consumer products (remember the Ronco brand?), did a fabulous job of selling. And generating immediate consumer response. In those days, viewers had to pick up the phone.

Despite earnest and diligent efforts that you and I are both part of, the drive for Medicare for All has been stuck in neutral for a long time while Big Insurance has been eating our lunch. In the 117th Congress, M4A ended with 122 House co-sponsors. Now, in the 118th? 112 original co-sponsors and not one added since. That's sobering.

We need completely new approaches. Then it struck me: GINSU! (Thank you, Arthur, may you rest in peace.) Why aren't we making tongue-in-cheek-but-serious brief videos promoting direct action for M4A?! Head exploded. Brains all over the ceiling.

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We like the idea - I'm not sure how we put ads together that resemble Ronco but I'm all for it. PS We still have ginsu knives after 40 years and they work and lasted. Don't order yet....

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Also, a less invasive technique is being developed for early detection of colon cancer. Here’s an alternative at Mayo Clinic that is supposed to be as sensitive as a colonoscopy, and, not all insurance covers it. This technique can detect other diseases of organs in the belly. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/virtual-colonoscopy/about/pac-20385156#:~:text=Virtual%20colonoscopy%20is%20also%20known,pictures%20of%20your%20belly%20organs.

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Alan: Here’s another encouraging update. mRNA vaccine technology is being explored to create immune responses against cancer, including pancreatic cancer. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer

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