The purpose

I intend to give awards to people who make an extra effort to seek the truth about our health care crisis. I hope that this will encourage Americans to actually learn and understand the arguments of the opposing side.

My awards

From my personal funds, I intend to give three (3) awards.  

Two (2) of them, $100.00 each, are allocated for individuals who point me to proposals of health care reform that are at least as good as my proposal of creating a system based on the life-cycle health risk insurance concept.

One (1) of them, in the amount of $200.00, is allocated for an individual who presents to me facts and logical arguments proving that a health care system based on the concept of life-cycle health insurance  would never work.

The maximum amount of awards from my personal funds is $400.00. I reserve the right to change the number of awards, the amount given for each award, the total amount given, or not to give any awards at all.

Donated awards

Individuals or organizations that would like to join me and give their own awards for creative ideas regarding health care reform are encouraged to contact me to arrange details. Donors can establish their own rules for the awards they fund.

For example, someone may offer $10.00 award for the best comment for a given day, being it for or against my proposal.  This way people engaged in the debate can put their money behind their views. With many donors, everyday at least one creative contributor can receive an award.

Criteria

In order to qualify for an award, a submitter needs to point me to a health care reform proposal that thoroughly covers the issue and is based on facts and logical arguments. It is expected that a person applying for the award would briefly outline their reasoning behind the application.

An author of an alternative health care reform proposal report can present his or her own report.

All submissions should be made by e-mail, could be posted at my Facebook page, or to the comments at my posting at the Huffington Post or at the Open Salon.

In the case that more than one person submits the same document, only the earliest submission will be considered for the award.

The process

I will review submissions as they arrive, and comment on them with my preliminary opinions about their chances to get an award. I expect and encourage everyone to  express opinions about the submissions. I anticipate that after hearing from others, I might change my view in at least in some instances.

Time frame

All submissions need to arrive before the end of the day of December 31, 2009. Final decisions about awards will be made on or before January15, 2010.

The jury

For my awards, I will make final decisions with the advice from people participating in the debate.

I might invite experts of opposing views to become a jury in this contest.

People questioning my ability to be objective, are encouraged to invite experts they trust. 

Awards will be given based on the merit of the arguments presented. Any form of voting or opinion polling shall not  be used in determining the value of submissions in this contest.

FAQ

Q. Do I need to write my own health care reform proposal in order to apply for the award?

A. No, you just need to find a report that, in your opinion, presents a health reform proposal that is better than the one I published on this website. I expect a brief explanation on why you believe that the presented proposal is better than mine.

Q. I am a high school or college student and I wrote a paper on health care reform for a school assignment. Can I submit it?

A. Yes.

Q. I looked at the headlines of your writing about health care; I disagree with you, and do not want to waste my time reading your arguments. I listen to Glenn Beck and believe that he is right. Can I submit his website?

A. No, you need to present a particular document supporting your claim for the award. 

On Dec. 27, 2009, I found an essay "The Modern Health Care Maze" by Charles Kroncke and Ronald F. White published this summer by The Independent Review. This treatise explains complexity of our health care system, and discusses possible solutions. It would qualify for the $100 award, if anyone would bring it to my attention. As I found it myself, it is taken out of this contest. Someone lost $100.00.