America's Benefit Specialist August-September 2022

THE FINAL WORD

If you have your bibles with you, we’ll be looking back in the book of Genesis around chapter 41-42… Hold on—you didn’t think you’d come to Texas and not have to sit through a good old-fashioned sermon, did you? Well, sit back for just a second—this is about to get really good. The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in Egypt there was food. When all of Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried out to Pharoah for food. Pharaoh told all of the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” During the seven years of abundance, after harvest, everyone took a portion of their grain to Joseph to be stored up for the famine that had been prophesized. Then when the famine came, Joseph sold them back that grain to get them through those seven hard years. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere. On the surface, we look at this story as being about food and a person’s foresight that kept an entire nation from starving. But I submit to you that there’s more to this sto ry. This tale, at its core, is about insurance. No, they didn’t have cell phones, laptops, iPads, grain compliance, on-exchange grain, off-exchange grain or grain-compensation disclosures… but what’s happening here is insurance. In fact, for those of you familiar with life insurance, I think this is where the life insurance industry came up with the idea of the seven-year pay whole life. In the health insurance world, we would call this a self-funded plan. And I believe that would make Joseph the first ever insurance agent. I believe, like Joseph, we have been given a gift—a talent, a special skill set to under stand financial-risk elements related to the ever-escalating cost of healthcare. Where HISTORY’S FIRST INSURANCE AGENT

Joseph, through some very astonishing circumstances in dealing with incredible ad versity, used those talents and skills he was given and kept an entire nation from starv ing to death, we also, through what could be considered much adversity (primarily legis lative), have been blessed with a unique set of skills that plays a central role to fixing the broken healthcare system, which can liter ally save this nation. Our NAHU ecosystem has a powerful opportunity to change the trajectory of healthcare economics for this country for the foreseeable future, so much so that when future industry leaders look back on these times, they will recognize this pivotal point in history and credit us with being the ones that were instrumental in fixing the broken system. We just need to be more like Joseph. Can I get an amen? It wasn’t always the way it is today. There was time when the patient came first. A time when someone’s health wasn’t overshadowed by bureaucracy. A time when care was care. But in came the greed, in came the power, in came the darkness, suppressing the light of care. Health is now a business, placing profits above all else and causing the light of care to go out. But you can’t hide the light forever. One by one, resolute leaders are rising up and a new community is being born. A communi ty that see’s things differently. A community that is focused on transforming a broken industry. A community dedicated to restor ing the soul of healthcare by putting the light of the affordability of care back into the system. Little by little, this light begins to spread from one person to another work ing together to inspire, connect, educate, activate and advocate. YOU are that light. As you go from here, shine that light into those dark places and let’s do the work that so desperately needs to be done. Thank you for allowing me to serve you in this way for the next year.

by Kelly Fristoe NAHU President

Editor’s Note: On the final day of NAHU’s Annual Convention in June, Kelly Fristoe addressed attendees after being sworn in as NAHU president for 2022-23. His speech makes some excellent points and we wanted to run excerpts of it here for every member of NAHU to see.

56 ABS | benefitspecialistmagazine.com