Blogalicious Google Hangout with HHS Secretary Burwell
On February 9, 2015, I sat down with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell and get answers to your questions about the Affordable Care Act. It was an extreme pleasure to do so. Not only was it highly informative, but she was appreciative for the opportunity, as well. The folks at HHS were warm and welcoming. They want to engage with the citizens they’re employed by, elected and/or appointed to serve. Check us out:
The Back Story
The path leading to this interview (which is the highlight of my online career, to date) was surprising and humbling. Back at Blogacious6, right before the screening of “Beyond The Lights,” Stacey Ferguson mentioned that she wanted to speak to me about an opportunity at HHS. She said they wanted to work with me. I was like “who, me?” At first I couldn’t believe it. Then, I got thrilled.
It’s funny how the universe works and rewards our efforts. Back in 2013, I organized my consulting business, M Squared Healthcare Consulting because I wanted to apply for a grant to be a health navigator and get people signed up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That was a long, arduous process and I hadn’t the slightest clue what I was doing or the magnitude of what I was signing up for. All told, my business was successfully organized as an LLC, I was registered to do business with the federal government and I was on my way to having a micro-business as a healthcare consultant.
As fate would have it, I didn’t get the grant. That was a blessing in disguise. However, I did learn some valuable lessons about business. One of my 1st media projects was this video I created about the Affordable Care Act. It’s a real basic video, but informative and got the ball rolling. I feel like all that time and effort I put into the grant application and creating content for the ACA was rewarded with the invitation to interview Secretary Burwell. I couldn’t have asked for more.
Come Back Soon
Be on the lookout for my next couple posts. I’ll be sharing the answers to a few questions that were missed in the interview. Also, Secretary Burwell asked if I had written about the measles outbreak and vaccinations yet. Of course I’ll oblige her. As a healthcare professional, I’m pro-vax and happy to share my viewpoint about why. In the meantime, my most recent post Health Insurance: how much it really costs is pretty valuable if you want to see a comparison to ACA vs. employer based coverage. It was eye opening for me.
Peace and blessings,
