The folks at The Gradock Bulletin recommend that in honor of our nations' birthday, we spend a little bit of time thinking about the concept of independence and how it relates to our desire to take control of our healthcare needs.

For those who flunked American History in school, our founding fathers (the guys with the wigs) got really sick of the King of England sticking his hands into their pockets and telling them how to run their lives.  Remember that "taxation without representation" thing?  There was too much government in their lives, and they wanted their independence. 

So they knocked out this nifty little document and called it the "Declaration of Independence," which was signed by representatives of all the colonies.  John Hancock put his big ‘ol signature on the document and barely left enough room for all the other guys to sign it.  He later went on to start an insurance agency and became the founding father of Health Savings Accounts (not really of course).  You probably remember that little rumble called The Revolutionary War which lasted several years and led to Britain cutting us loose.  That was followed by, the Bill of Rights, The Constitution, a few more wars, George Bush, "Change", and all that groovy stuff.

Over the years, that very institution, for which blood was shed and independence gained, has insidiously woven its way back into the fabric of our lives in many ways.  There is too much government in our lives, and some folks would like to thrust more upon us.  Occasionally, however, they do things right and actually give us more independence, more freedom, and more liberty.    

Consumer Driven Health is about independence.  It is about us taking back control of an important aspect of our lives.  When the Congress signed Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) into law a few years ago; for once, they gave us a tool for greater independence rather than some elixir for dependence. 

As we celebrate our nation's independence and our own, let's pause a moment to recognize how fortunate we are.  Let's use the tools of independence like Health Savings Accounts to take control of our healthcare and our lives.  And let's continue to fight and pray for a Government that believes we are generally capable of taking care of ourselves as opposed to a Government that believes we are not.

Fireworks anyone?