The Bitter Pill: Where Did My Benefits Go?
Bob G. Shupe
Paperback, 6x9 in, 248 pages, Bibliography
Wheatmark, October 2006
ISBN-10: 1587366843
ISBN-13: 9781587366840
Description
Millions of Americans either lose their benefits or have them reduced every year. Most health care providers, insurance industry personnel, and employers agree that the primary reason for this devastating occurrence is increasing cost. What they do not agree on is the definition of the word cost. Some believe one of the solutions is association health plans—the pooling of small employers to allow greater savings through mass purchase. This concept, however, creates another set of problems, and has failed more often than it has worked. Another school of thought supports national health care or state mandated coverage as the answer; big government is the final cure for everything. While national health care, or single payer, may work in socialized countries, it is not likely to work in capitalist America. Others offer no real solutions, except to debate the issue and hope the problem will fix itself.
The Bitter Pill was written to not only define the real problem of reduced or eliminated benefits due to increasing costs, but to also offer real solutions.
About the author
Bob G. Shupe entered the insurance industry in 1977 as a finance and insurance agent for a local automobile dealership. The next year, 1978 he was hired by the Nationwide Insurance Group as a full line agent. During his tenure he was also a district manager whose duties included: commercial employee benefits training and commercial property and casualty training. He attained much of his technical insurance knowledge during his final years with Nationwide, and he was a leading independent producer for the company.
In 1988 he had the opportunity to purchase a small consulting firm that worked primarily with public entities; counties, cities and public utilities. The original company had seven clients. Today there are over forty, and ESPinc is the leading independent public entity insurance consulting firm in the state of Tennessee. The firm consults on groups with lives totaling more than 25,000 and property values approaching five billion dollars. Mr. Shupe is known throughout the public entity, insurance carrier market as a respected, unbiased consultant. He is also known by most Third Party Benefit Administrators and carriers who write employee benefits. The software and programming written for ESPinc, developed by Mr. Shupe, is the most comprehensive, technically advanced on-line bid specification available. This accomplishment was made possible through his understanding of the industry, clients who use their services, and employees who spend 100% of those health care dollars.
Mr. Shupe has also taught Life Underwriters Training Council Courses and instructed many industry seminars. He is a long term member of the National Association of Health Underwriters, an organization of over 20,000 insurance professionals, and has served as the Regional Legislative Chair for seven southern states. Previous offices held with NAHU include past president of the Middle Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters, Past President of the Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters, and Tennessee Legislative Chair. He was personally responsible for starting three state chapters in Tennessee which increased membership from 150 to 500 in just three years. That accomplishment won him the prestigious Underwriter of the Year Award and the respect of hundreds of his peers.
In addition to his other responsibilities, Mr. Shupe is a much sought after speaker on the subject of health care costs. He has spoken in several states and is constantly scheduling other events concerning this timely and controversial subject. He has been the key note speaker on the platform with CEOs from several major carriers.
Mr. Shupe is a past Moderator of the Nashville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is an active elder at his church and retired Minister of Music, serving in that position for thirty years. He is a graduate of Belmont University, the father of two children, and the husband of Valerie Shupe for the past thirty-six years.
