Review: "As Exchanges Open Enrollment Season, Consumers Ask More Insurance Questions" – NP
This article was written by NPR's Michelle Andrews last week.
Imagine that you were required to be in a room full of doughnuts displayed on various stations. Imagine that each station was sponsored by a well-known doughnut maker – Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, Shipley (the best!), etc. Imagine that before pushing you into that room full of doughnuts, you were given a nice app on your phone to sift through the different stations and doughnuts to find the one you liked. You could even call a coach to walk you through the process of finding the right doughnut. You begin to feel that the whole world is awesome because it's conspired to help you find the best doughnut ever!
The problem is, you have no choice: you must buy a doughnut. And that doughnut will, ultimately, do nothing for your health.
That's how I felt about this article. People are asking very intelligent questions and have legitimate concerns. But when all you have to choose from are doughnuts, how in the world are you going to learn about the nutritional value of apples? Or how to go without a doughnut? Or even getting out of the room, which I guess metaphorically you can't do since the room symbolizes society.
So yeah, enjoy your doughnut, hope that your cells stay sensitive to insulin, and wait for the diabetes – metaphorically, the bankrupting of our economy.
How does P.S.Y.C.H. gloriously play into this metaphor? P.S.Y.C.H. is not a closed room; people and stations can come and go, and the variety is enormous because there are doughnuts but also beef jerky and quinoa and kale and pigs feet. And you get to choose what you want to partake in, when, in what quantity, and how it's obtained.
Informed, transparent, individualized choice is a truly American idea, just like doughnuts.