Unleash the Power!

“Unleash the Power” was the theme of the 18th annual National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference in Washington DC this week. I had the pleasure of attending this conference and had a chance to lobby on the hill…I feel like a Washington insider.

One of the most surprising events that happened to me in DC was the intelligence level and interest of the Legislative Assistant’s (LA’s) that I met with in both Senator Hutchinson and Senator Cornyn’s office. While I didn’t get to meet with either Senator personally (BTW, I have been to DC 5 times and have NEVER been able to meet with my Senator…and I vote) their LA’s were very helpful and asked some really great questions about the healthcare system. Maybe I was wrong in my last blog…maybe some of these LA’s are the way to solving the problems, these kids are bright & forward thinking. I applaud the Senators for hiring them.
Of course, I did tell the LA’s that I would be looking to replace them in a 7-11 years…I still have the Washington DC bug. That place is fantastic!

Another cool thing that happened to me was that I got to hear and see Grace Marie Turner of the Galen Institute talk for more than an hour. She is as brilliant in person as she is in the columns that she writes. If you want to read her stuff or donate money to her organization click here: www.galen.org

Security in DC is still tight. You can’t tour the House without a blood sample and 4 months notice. But the monuments are still fantastic, and muster up a certain sense of history. I stood in the spot where Martin Luther King gave his “I have a Dream” speech.

In addition to the great history lesson, sore feet and educational opportunities offered to me by NAHU, my 10 year old son, my x-mother in law and her sister (my x aunt in law?) all got to attend with me. For the 3 of them this was their first visit to DC. I think they had a blast. I am blessed to have a great kid and a great relationship with x-mother in law. She stepped right up to the plate when I wanted to give my son this experience. And since I had to be in meetings the majority of the time, I need to have a chaperone for Austin (the kid). Hopefully we will have video ready in a few days that we can share with you.

I love government (can I say that out loud?),
Misty B.