This month, I'm not going to directly talk about Health Reform (well, I might make a reference!).  I'm not going to directly talk about what's going on down at the Gold Dome, or what happened up in Massachusetts. 

I'm going to talk about hope. 

Like all of you, I've watched events unfold in Haiti and the images are heartbreaking.  I am fortunate to know several friends down there at Matthew 25, highlighted on Good Morning America.  I've been getting email reports from them daily.  I can tell you that what we see on TV does not really approach how horrible the reality has been for the people there.

Imagine trying to cheer up a little injured girl, but she tells you it's hard to smile because her mother, father, sisters are gone, still buried.  She's glad to be alive herself, but what is her life to be?  And that is where hope comes in to play, during and after the most desperate times.  It's a little over a week after the quake.  An entire nation is in ruins and their government can do nothing....nothing.  But those who are still alive and well are digging by hand, alongside people flown in from all over the world, but especially from America.

The USS Comfort is there.  The 82nd Airborne is there.  Every branch of the military is there.  Civilians like my friends are there.  Doctors, nurses, corpsmen, translators, engineers, and demolition specialists...every imaginable specialty that can help....all are there.  In short, America is there.  We even have a GAHU member here in Georgia who has put me in touch with someone who can help my friends get critically injured patients out of the country to save their lives.  So, even those who aren't there physically actually ARE there!  And in that, there is hope. 

Don't assume that the stories you see about violence and looting there are indicative of the Haitian people.  En masse, they are astounded by our generosity and are alongside our people working hand in hand to pull their nation from the brink of disaster.  They still hope...and Americans are giving them that hope, the most incredible gift one nation can give another.

In the 1990s, Rwanda was going through genocide.  Today, it is the safest country in Africa.  It took only 10 years to turn it around.  It can be done in Haiti too, and for some reason (hope?) I believe it will this time.

And so, this all begs the question; if these kinds of things can be accomplished there, what can we accomplish here?  If hope and effort lead to miracles in other countries like Haiti, can they not do the same here with things like...say...certain pieces of legislation that need a reality-check?  I think we all know the answer to that question.  But hope by itself is not the answer, it is only the fuel.  Remember to hope, and let that fuel your efforts. 

Please keep Haiti in your prayers. 

Keep America in your prayers. 

Keep hope alive in yourself, and you'll be astounded at what can happen.

God bless us all,

Blake Watts

2009-2010 GAHU President

theblakewatts@gmail.com

  

GAHU State Event	Scheduled Meeting Date/Time	Special Notice
Visit GAHU's Site for Updates		Click Here for Website Join GAHU by clicking here!
	Tuesday January 26, 2010 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM	2010 Day on the Hill Click Here for Details
	Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation June 16 - 18th 2010	2010 GAHU Convention 'Professional Renewal' Click Here for Details Sponsorship opportunities available!
Local Chapter Events/Meetings	Normally Scheduled Meeting Date/Time	Special Notice or Up-Coming Events
Atlanta		Click Here for Website   Sponsorship details available for up-coming meetings!  Check with admin@atlantaahu.org
Date:	3rd Friday Monthly
Time:	7:30 AM - 10:00 AM
	February 18, 2010 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM	Annual Benefits Forum Click Here for Details
	Now - March 31, 2010	Membership Campaign The member who recruits the most new members each month will win a Starbucks gift card. The member who recruits the most new members during the campaign will win the choice of:  1) Complimentary registration to the GAHU Annual Forum held June 16-19, or 2)  A $100 American Express Gift Card.
Coastal Empire (Savannah):
Date:	3rd Friday Monthly
Time:	11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
CSRA (Augusta):		Click Here for Website     Please Note:  New Meeting Time & Location!
Date:	2nd Wednesday Monthly
Time:	12:00 Noon - 2:00 PM Registration @ 11:30AM Augusta DoubleTree Hotel
Middle Georgia (Macon):
Date:	1st Thursday Monthly
Time:	10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Northeast Georgia (Commerce):		Click Here for Website
Date:	2nd Wednesday Monthly
Time:	8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Northwest Georgia (Calhoun):
Date:	2nd Wednesday Monthly
Time:	8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
South Atlanta (College Park):		Click Here for Meeting Info Congrat's to South Atlanta for great success with SAAHU's January 21st Annual Symposium.
Date:	3rd Thursday Monthly
Time:	11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
South Georgia:		Meeting dates and times will be announced to membership.
Date:	Twice Per Year
Time:	Varies

Online CDHC Certification Course Offered

Completion of this interactive coursework will provide you with the strong technical knowledge you need to successfully navigate the various rules and regulations of the myriad types of consumer-directed health care options, and proven methods for communicating those options to employers and employees in a compelling way.

Upon completion of the course, you will receive a FREE copy of Roy Ramthun's book, "A Commonsense Guide to Health Savings Accounts" as a GAHU member bonus!

Register Here!

M Wardrip Creates an Independent Legislative Blog

GAHU's State Lobbyist and long time member, Michael Wardrip has created a blog to allow on-line access to a forum focused on recent legislatilve issues and initiatives. 

This blog should be particularly useful as the GA Legislative Session is well underway.  From all accounts at the State Capital on January 26th - there is alot of activity on the table to keep an eye on! 

Visit Wardrip's Independent Blog @ http://healthygeorgia.wordpress.com/ 

2010 Session of the Georgia General Assembly

House Bills:

 1. Health care professionals; continuing education in cultural competency; require click here

2. Hospitals and related institutions; assisted living communities; provisions click here

3. Orthopedic Physician Assistant Act; enact click here

4. Workers' compensation; hearing loss; hearing level frequencies; revise certain provisions click here

5. Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance Act; enact click here

6. Freedom from Compulsory Pandemic Act; enact click here

House Resolutions:

1. Health care system; no law shall compel participation; provide - CA click here

2. Georgia Federal Health Care Nullified Amendment; enact - CA click here

3. Congressional leaders; allow viewing of health reform discussions; urge click here

4. Health insurance coverage lost; assist Georgians; request click here

5. Addiction Recovery Awareness Day; Jan. 14, 2010; declare click here

Senate Bills:

1. Insurance; authorize the purchase of health insurance policies from out-of-  state insurers click here

2. Insurance; pharmacy benefits managers; regulation and licensure click here

3. Medicare Supplemental; make available to persons under age 65 who qualify for Medicare due to disability or end-stage renal disease click here

4. Health; provide that no law shall compel any person to participate in any health care system; authorize to pay directly without penalties/fines click here

Senate Amendments:

1. Government; origin and foundation; provide all powers not delegated to the state/local government; reserved by the people (PF)-CA click here

2. Health Care Freedom of Choice Constitutional Amendment; no law shall compel any person to participate in any health care system-(PF) CA

3. http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sr794.htm

4. Health Care Systems; no law shall pass that restricts a person's freedom of choice of private health care systems CA click here

5. Georgia Attorney General; urged to begin preparations to challenge the constitutionality of H.R. 3590 click here

6. Georgia Attorney General; urged to begin preparations to challenge the constitutionality of H.R. 3590 click here

The PAC makes IMPACT!

Your participation in the PAC is just more critical than before!

Q.  How will I know if I am not currently contributing?

A.  You can click here to access the HUPAC List of contributors.  If you're name is not on the list, you are not contributing.  If you are contributing, you can change the amount, credit card number, contact information, etc.

Q  Why contribute to this fund in addition to my commitment to GAHU PAC?

A.  HUPAC money goes toward supporting U.S. elected officials - specifically members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senators.  GAHU PAC money goes only to local elected officials - members of the Georgia General Assembly, as well as other constitutionally elected officials in the State of Georgia.  With the healthcare reform debate going on in Washington, it has never been more important to support elected officials who want to do this the right way.

Q.  What is the easiest way for me to get set up to do my part to support this very important PAC?

A.  The easiest way is to complete and submit the required HUPAC Contribution Form click here.

You may pay by credit card, bank draft or check.

Atlanta Association of Insurance Professionals Extends an Invite to Thornton Wilder's Our Town...

to the Georgia Association of Health Underwriters to attend an evening with Insurance Professionals at Southwest Arts Center, Atlanta Georgia.

This timeless classic of the American theater is seen through new eyes in Kenny Leon's multi-cultural reinvention. Grover's Corners, New Hampshire is a small, out-of-the-way town whose citizens mirror the timeless concerns of all humankind. Our Town dramatically reveals that the daily events of human life, however painful, dreary, or inconsequential, are both a precious gift in their own right and a portion of the mysterious plan that rests in the Mind of God. An immortal tale that powerfully describes how we view ourselves.

Directed by Kenny Leon / Assistant Director - Todd Kreidler

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 8 p.m.

• Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta, GA 30331
• $15 per ticket - 02/23/10 8 PM show only (Deadline February 5, 2010)  

Contact Roberta S. Williams at 770-833-8977 or robertaswilliams@aol.com to reserve seat and purchase tickets at this price.  Or, f