MedCity Influencers, Policy

IPAB for Muppets: Would bureaucrats dictate Big Bird’s options if he got bird flu?

Now that Big Bird's job and health insurance are at risk, it's clear that MuppetCare and its impact on middle class puppets we know and love is a hot issue.

In the first Presidential debate held October 3, 2012, Mitt Romney raised to the public consciousness the idea that, while he likes Sesame Street, it might be worth cutting the show (via cutting overall PBS funding) to balance the federal budget. More than any other issue on the table, this particular one begs the question: in a presidential debate where the candidates seemed to agree on more than they disagree, What Would the Muppets Do (WWMD?) and how does this critical swing vote impact the outcome of the election?

In exclusive coverage of the Muppet debrief of the debate, moderated by balcony-dwelling Jim Lehrer-look-alike commentators Statler and Waldorf, it became clear that the key issue for this voting segment is MuppetCare and how this program will impact the significant population of middle class puppets who we have come to know and love. A brief summary of the concerns overheard in this discussion:

    • Would the IPAB (Independent Puppet Advisory Board) dictate Big Bird’s options if he contracted bird flu?
    • Will attempts to address the national obesity crisis lead to a limit on cookie size, a la New York City’s soda size regulations, thus limiting Cookie Monster’s personal freedoms?

    • Is being green a pre-existing condition and, if so, will color therapy be a covered service if frogs do not have continuous coverage?

    • Will plans available through the insurance exchanges be limited to metallic colors, like bronze and platinum, or will primary colors more familiar to Muppets be offered?

    • Elmo has a question: if Elmo is perpetually 3 ½ years old, will Elmo be permanently covered under Elmo’s parent’s plan?

    • Are Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s “Insta-Grow” pills subject to the pharmaceutical excise tax?

    • With all the talk of taking care of the middle class, how will those who live in garbage cans access care and will lifetime limits on trash accumulation be effected?
    • Will MuppetCare benefits be extended to different species marriages (e.g., frog and pig) or be limited only to same sex marriage partners (Ernie and Bert)?
  • In their wrap-up of the debate, the commentators were heard to say:

    Statler: Hey you old fool, you slept through the show!
    Waldorf: Who’s the fool? You watched it!


    Lisa Suennen

    Lisa Suennen has spent nearly 30 years as an entrepreneur, venture investor and advisor in the healthcare industry. She currently serves as Senior Managing Director at GE Ventures, leading the firm’s healthcare venture fund. Lisa is also co-founder of CSweetener, a not-for-profit company focused on matching women in and nearing the healthcare C-Suite with mentors who have been there and wish to give back. She is a member of the faculty at the UC Berkeley Haas School of
    Business, where for 10 years she has taught classes on venture capital and the changing healthcare economy.
    Prior to joining GE Ventures, Lisa operated Venture Valkyrie Consulting for 3 years, advising large corporations around corporate venture capital, new business creation and digital health strategy. Prior to that she spent 15 years as a Partner at Psilos Group, a successful healthcare-focused venture capital firm. Lisa is currently a Board Member of Evidation Health, Health Reveal, Gravie, the Dignity Health Foundation, and Heart To Heart International. She is also on the Advisory Boards of the California Health Care Foundation Innovation Fund, the
    American Heart Association Innovation Think Tank, global digital health organization HealthXL and NASA’s Translational Research Institute.  Lisa is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Aspen Institute’s
    Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Through her Venture Valkyrie media company, Lisa writes a widely read blog on healthcare and healthcare investing at http://venturevalkyrie.com . She published her
    first book in 2013: Tech Tonics, Can Passionate Entrepreneurs Heal Healthcare with Technology, coauthored with Dr. David Shaywitz. Together they also host a popular podcast, also called Tech Tonics, focused on the people and passion at the intersection
    of technology and health.
    Lisa an M.A. in political science, a B.A. in political science and a B.A. in mass communications, all from the University of California, Berkeley.

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