I'm a backa of PPACA

June 28, 2012 10:58 AM

I've been working in health care compliance for a large insurance company. Now that the Supreme Court has upheld PPACA, I'd like to use my powers for good and not for evil.

I came into the office and looked at all the somber faces (some who said they were now moving to Canada as a result of the ruling ... Umm ... Should I tell them?) and decided that I am not comfortable in this environment. (I am not asking for people to tell me to "make" myself comfortable or deal with it. I'm a grown-ass woman.)

I am wondering if I might take my skills (well-versed in this bill and other legislation (drafting, interpretation, etc), law degree (never practiced and don't want to ... no license), journalism background and do something different/meaningful to me with it.

Any ideas?

posted by nubianinthedesert to work & money (8 answers total)

For starters, there are insurance companies that don't suck (or, er, suck less) and are actually in favor of this, so if you like what you do but not who you work for, you may be able to "simply" shift to another employer.

Aside from that, there are a multitude of organizations that work in the field of proposing, analyzing, and commenting on legislation--maybe start looking for orgs that do work you support, then figure out if they're hiring? (Or at least looking for volunteers, which may be more realistic.)
posted by FlyingMonkey at 11:08 AM on June 28, 2012

Send a resume to SCOTUSBlog.

No, seriously. You sound perfect for their team, and I expect they're going to be very busy soon.
posted by zombieflanders at 11:08 AM on June 28, 2012 [3 favorites]

Lots of health policy organizations employ policy analysts - being able to write clearly and explain somewhat opaque policy matters to non-policy geeks is important.
posted by rtha at 11:09 AM on June 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

With the skills you have, my first thought was to work for a non-investor owned (NIO)/ customer-owned health insurance company. Unlike stockholder-owned companies, if ACA changes the game for NIOs at all, it will probably be for the positive.

(If you are already working for one, I'd suggest that your co-workers and/or corporate response to ACA is way-off/ignorant. Which would be another reason to change jobs.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:10 AM on June 28, 2012

I would definitely give SCOTUSBlog a shot (And then I'd be very jealous if you got in), and if not them then some other legal/policy reporting house.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:15 AM on June 28, 2012

Jump into the Social Security disability game.

Disability lawyers are so few that not only can they choose to take the cream of winnable cases, but an industry of administrative consultants has grown to assist those seeking SSDI to prepare their filings without a lawyer. Many of these small businesses contract directly with the large long-term disability insurance companies as those companies have a monetary interest in getting their policy-holders onto both Social Security and Medicare (thus reducing those companies' monthly pay-outs, dollar-for-dollar).

With your credentials, you could probably have your pick of available jobs--from overseeing evidence collection/compiling medical histories to screening potential clients for the lawyers.

This is only my perspective as someone on disability. This field probably has many more opportunities when viewed as a potential career path.
posted by Ardiril at 11:36 AM on June 28, 2012 [2 favorites]

You may want to look into becoming a privacy officer or manager or a compliance or risk manager/officer for a healthcare organization (not an insurer). Your background would be a big asset.
posted by anonnymoose at 1:43 PM on June 28, 2012

States are going to need to set up insurance exchanges - RI already has one built and is just waiting to throw the switch. It was set up by our Lt. Gov who had a deep history with the health insurance industry, and used her powers for good rather than evil.

Other states were not as forward looking, or blessed with such a politician. Your state probably needs some help setting up their exchange - send a letter of inquiry to the governor's office, Lt. governor's office, or the state legislator most deeply involved with state healthcare issues. It will require some legwork and involvement in the political scene to find out who to approach.
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:55 AM on June 29, 2012