Christmas Wreath

Why do people use an Advent wreath at Christmas? A wreath is used to

symbolize death, yet Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus the Christ. And why celebrate on the 25th of December? How does all this tie together?

The story of the Christmas wreath is a winding path of traditions including many pagan practices such as a wreath and yule log. Christmas also has roots in Judaism although in a much more subtle way.

Hannukah is sometimes referred to (incorrectly) as Jewish Christmas. The proximity of Hannukah and Christmas celebrations can be confusing to people of both faiths. Some Jewish families will include in their Hannukah celebration the swapping gifts in the Christmas "tradition".

Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th. We swap gifts in recognition of the wise men that sought out the Christ child and came bearing gifts.

But why the 25th?

In 167BC Antiochus Epiphanes entered Jerusalem and ransacked the Temple. Over a three day period some 40,000 women and children were killed and another 40,000 sold into slavery.

In order to further break the spirit of the Jews, Antiochus descrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar on the 25th of the Jewish month Kislev.

A corresponding date on the Julian calendar would be the 25th of December.

Years later in a revolt led by Judas Maccabaeus the Jewish people retook the city and the Temple was reconsecrated for holy worship. The re-dedication of the Temple took place on the 25th of Kislev.

Centuries later Christians adopted December 25th as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Just as the rebirth of the Temple is celebrated during Hannukah, so is the birth of Yahshua (Jesus) the Christ during December.

A wreath is a continuous circle with no beginning and no end. Wreaths were used as a way to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring which brings new life.

Christians will often place an Advent wreath on a table consisting of 3 red candles, one pink candle and a white candle in the center. Beginning on the 4th Sunday before Christmas a candle is lit and accompanied by a prayer and scripture reading. For the next 3 Sundays successive candles are lit in anticipation of the coming of the Christ child. The pink candle, known as the Mary candle, is the last one lit before Christmas.

On Christmas morning the remaining white candle, Christ candle, is lit celebrating the birth of Christ.

The use of holly in forming the wreaths also has meaning. Green holly leaves represent the continuation of life during the cold winter months as well as the belief in eternal life through Christ.

Red holly berries are symbolic of the blood that Christ shed for our sins. The sacrifice of Christ also has ties to Judaism whereby a lamb was often used as a sacrifice to God.

Death and rebirth. Beginning and end. Judaism and Christianity. All brought together in the Advent wreath.

Another One Bites the Dust

CoOportunity Health, a fledgling Iowa health-insurance company set up under the Affordable Care Act, has been taken over by by state regulators and could soon go under, officials said Wednesday.

CoOportunity Health is an insurance cooperative set up to give consumers and small businesses an alternative in a market with few choices. The company relied on tens of millions of dollars in federal loan guarantees provided under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. It began selling policies in 2013.

Des Moines Register

Cavalcade of Risk #224: Swan Song edition

"The Swan song is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement."

Let me be clear at the outset: the above refers to the Cav, not your humble host. When I started it back in Ought 6, my goal was to offer fellow bloggers an opportunity to share their thoughts on risk:

"The purpose of the C of R is to offer insights into the world of risk management; generally, this will be insurance-related, but that’s not a requirement. Our goal is to help folks understand what risk is, and how to manage it. It's about business and finance, of course, but it's also about risks in our everyday lives and personal relationships."

And of course, rotating hosts each edition helped to spread the load, and for those who stood up I am eternally grateful. It's been a great 8+ years.

And now, on with the show:

I'm going to lead off with David Williams and Julie Ferguson, because their blogs were among the select group included in the Cav's debut edition. This week, David writes about the challenges facing the FDA as it assesses - and attempts to minimize - cardiac risks in the evaluation of new meds.

Julie Ferguson (whose co-blogger John Coppelman also graced our first Cav) has a very clever entry: a  carnival-within-a-carnival. This one's actually a great two-fer: it's got a jolly, red-suited big-guy (Merry Christmas!!) and the most recent edition of the Health Wonk Review (a sort of sister-carnival to the CoR which Julie untiringly coordinates every other week).

Another long-time participant and host, Nina Kallen, writes about a very special kind of insurance called business interruption coverage, which helps pay an employer's overhead after a loss. Her post deals with how the courts look at how that overhead is actually calculated.

Jason Shafrin has been my favorite health care economist for as long as I can recall; he, too, has been a long-time participant and host. In this week's entry, he reinforces one of my all-time favorite memes (and one which we at InsureBlog have been expounding for many, many years): health insurance is NOT health care . Seems obvious, no? Well, it often isn't, and Jason does a great job of explaining why they shouldn't be conflated.

And speaking of long-time contributors and hosts, Claire Wilkinson is the brains behind the Insurance Information Institute’s blog, and is a powerhouse of interesting insurance info (see what I did there?). This week's post on cyber risk is quite timely (and the folks at Sony should be following her blog).

Another frequent participant is Rebecca Shafer, whose posts on worker's comp are always interesting and on-point. In her final Cav post, she writes about a new EEOC initiative regarding new interactive requirements that must be implemented from the day an employer knows there's a serious health issue. If you're an employer, don't miss this one.

Talk about a "blast from the past:" Ironman (proprietor of the Political Calculations blog) pops in with his post on how O'Care's lack of transparency is costing us taxpayers a pretty penny, and the risk that not a few of the newly-insured may face come tax time.

Bob Wilson also writes on Worker's Compensation issues, and this week's offering from his cluttered desk includes a visit from Cthulu. Okay, not really, but do try to get that image out of your head while you read his take on the tentacles of employer fraud in the WC arena.

Louise Norris has been a terrific supporter of the Cav from its earliest days (as has her husband, Jay). This week, she's gone above and beyond to write a post specifically for this final edition: Open Enrollment has been much in the news, but the new auto-renewal rules have been mostly under the radar. Louise examines the risks of not paying attention.

Occasional contributor Jason Fisher pops in this week with his informative post on some ways that diabetics (and their agents) can help themselves when applying for life insurance.

And, finally, our own final Cav contribution laments the death of Vermont's brief foray into Single-Payer health care (really!).

Thanks to all the folks who contributed to this final Cavalcade of Risk, and my heartfelt gratitude to all of those along the way who've participated and hosted. Be well!

Anticipated Government Tricks

This particular story has been making the rounds lately:

"New rules being proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will give that agency enormous new powers ... the government will choose and force you to pay for a policy that they think works best for you."

At issue is the fact that many (most?) folks who use the Exchange are going solo, or relying on the "expertise" and/or good will of the anonymous folks on the other end of the phone line. So when renewal time rolls around, they may (or more likely, may not) pay any attention to the notice from the insurance carrier, and be "renewed" into a completely different plan.

So what?

For one thing, this has been SOP in the health insurance market for as long as I can remember: plans come and go, and carriers transition their insureds to what they they consider the closest alternative. If the client doesn't like it, they're free to choose a different plan, or even - gasp! - shop around for another carrier altogether.

It's called "Personal Responsibility," and it means paying  attention to things like renewal notices and plan changes. Now, it's likely that these kinds of changes will become more commonplace as the Actuarial Value rules mandate the limitation or deletion of certain plan designs. Not to mention, carriers themselves seeing the writing on the wall:

Recently, one of my clients, who had a Medical Mutual of Ohio "Gold" plan learned that it was no longer being offered, and he was being transitioned to a "Silver' level policy (MMO has discontinued all of their Gold plans in this area, no doubt due to horrendous claims experience). We took the opportunity to shop around and compare prices and plans, and he was able to find a new one that fit his needs and budget. And notice, this wasn't an Exchange-based plan at all, and yet the experience matches what's being anticipated on it.

There's just no there, there.

Chemin d'Liverpool

The Brits have their Liverpool Pathway, and we (now) have the ACA Death Panels, and it appears that the French are well on their way, as well:

"Doctors in France will have the right to put terminally-ill patients into a deep sleep until they die, under plans unveiled [recently]that reignited a national debate on euthanasia."

Of course, when the government pays for your healthcare (as they do in France), it gets to call the shots (so to speak). And it also gets to say when said shots stop. Such is the nature of a socialized health care scheme: who pays the piper calls the tune.

Of further course, killing off your patients is a great way to cut costs and, of further course, there's no recidivism. So, win-win. Well, except for the patient.

[Hat Tip: Co-Blogger Bob]