Morning Blend

 Marcy and I had a great time talking with Debba about Better Together.  Here is our post from her website.  Log on to Girlfriendology to here our discussion!

Starting a business is like signing up to run a marathon. I know that now. I didn’t know that six months ago, when my sister-in-law, friend and business partner, Marcy, and I formed “Better Together”.

To be honest, Better Together really formed itself. Marcy and I simply chose to continue following where it led. What a journey it has been! The whole concept behind our company started over several weeks of long distant, early morning phone calls between Marcy and myself. We were concerned about the bailout money, who would be tracking it, why did one company get money and another didn’t? We were concerned about the war and healthcare reform and the economy. Mostly, we were concerned about who was looking out for people like us and our neighbors, family members, those more fortunate than us and certainly those less fortunate than us.

We compared notes on conversations we had been having with others and conversations we overheard. Everyone was echoing the same sentiment. “FIX IT! We don’t care who gets the credit. JUST FIX IT!”

Marcy emailed me at 5:30 one morning in April with the concept for a t-shirt that depicted the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party">political party emblems working together to complete simple, everyday tasks. We decided to make enough for our family and friends. From there, literally overnight, it turned into a business. Marcy and I never planned on operating a family business but neither of us ever hesitated either. When Better Together started taking off, we quickly decided to walk through each door that opened to us. When the doors stopped opening we would reconsider our “family project”. So far we are still going through the doors and enjoying every minute of it.

Marcy and I have always been close friends but it turns out that we are pretty good business partners as well. Marcy and I have been able to play off each other’s strengths, step up when the other needs it, bounce ideas (upon ideas, upon ideas) off of one another, and most importantly laugh a lot along the way. I did not realize we would be running a marathon but I am glad we are running it together! After all, we are Better Together!

Marcy Bilyak created “Better Together” with her sister in law Carolyn. She is having a blast creating new products and keeping up with her husband, three boys, and black lab! She lives in the Pittsburgh area. Carolyn Farkas has particularly enjoyed watching their hunch, that many Americans are wanting to pull together, be confirmed with such enthusiasm. Carolyn Farkas lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband, three children and two dogs.

Lots happening at Better Together!  We are keeping busy designing products, keeping up with the website and getting our kids ready for back to school.  One thing we are working on is our sales program where we are able to offer the opportunity for college students to market our Better Together products. We are really excited with this idea. We are also getting ready to go to print with new fall designs.  We will soon be linking to some of our favorite websites so; don’t forget to send us your photos for our friends and fans page. Thanks for the support!

Marcy

So, I have been listening to all the different debates going on concerning health care reform and I am all over the place.  I adamantly agree that SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE. I also agree that I DON"T WANT A GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM!  So, where does that leave us?  Truly?  There is a huge ocean, no GALAXY, of space between what we have and nationalized health insurance.  It is not that crazy to think we can have a cutting edge, efficient, cost effective way to keep Americans healthy, treat them when they are sick and not BANKRUPT them in the process. I mean, COME ON.  I liked this article by Bobby Jindal in the Wall Street Journal.  I edited the parts where Mr. Jindal calls everyone names and vents about the current plan.  I included the part that I liked...because it's my blog and I can do that.  Here is the gist of it:

How To Make Health Care Reform Bipartisan
by Bobby Jindal

I served in the U.S. House with a majority of the current 435 representatives, and I am confident that if given the proper amount of legislative review, they will not accept the flawed Pelosi plan that is currently stuck in committee. Yet there is general agreement among Republicans and Democrats that we need health-care reform to bring costs down. This agreement can be the basis of a genuine, bipartisan reform, once the current over-reach by Mr. Obama and Mrs. Pelosi fails. Leaders of both parties can then come together behind health-care reform that stresses these seven principles:

•Consumer choice guided by transparency. We need a system where individuals choose an integrated plan that adopts the best disease-management practices, as opposed to fragmented care. Pricing and outcomes data for all tests, treatments and procedures should be posted on the Internet. Portable electronic health-care records can reduce paperwork, duplication and errors, while also empowering consumers to seek the provider that best meets their needs.

•Aligned consumer interests. Consumers should be financially invested in better health decisions through health-savings accounts, lower premiums and reduced cost sharing. If they seek care in cost-effective settings, comply with medical regimens, preventative care, and lifestyles that reduce the likelihood of chronic disease, they should share in the savings.

•Medical lawsuit reform. The practice of defensive medicine costs an estimated $100 billion-plus each year, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which used a study by economists Daniel P. Kessler and Mark B. McClellan. No health reform is serious about reducing costs unless it reduces the costs of frivolous lawsuits.

•Insurance reform. Congress should establish simple guidelines to make policies more portable, with more coverage for pre-existing conditions. Reinsurance, high-risk pools, and other mechanisms can reduce the dangers of adverse risk selection and the incentive to avoid covering the sick. Individuals should also be able to keep insurance as they change jobs or states.

 

Martin Kozlowski

•Pooling for small businesses, the self-employed, and others. All consumers should have equal opportunity to buy the lowest-cost, highest-quality insurance available. Individuals should benefit from the economies of scale currently available to those working for large employers. They should be free to purchase their health coverage without tax penalty through their employer, church, union, etc.

•Pay for performance, not activity. Roughly 75% of health-care spending is for the care of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes—and there is little coordination of this care. We can save money and improve outcomes by using integrated networks of care with rigorous, transparent outcome measures emphasizing prevention and disease management.

•Refundable tax credits. Low-income working Americans without health insurance should get help in buying private coverage through a refundable tax credit. This is preferable to building a separate, government-run health-care plan.

These steps would bring down health-care costs. They would not bankrupt our nation or increase taxes in the midst of a recession. They are achievable reforms with bipartisan consensus and public support. All they require is a willingness by the president to slow down and have an honest discussion with Americans about the real downstream consequences of his ideas. Let’s start there.

Mr. Jindal is governor of Louisiana.