Ralph Weber (businessman)

Ralph Weber
Born	Ralph Ferdinand Weber (1961-10-26) October 26, 1961 Richmond, British Columbia
Residence	Richmond, Texas
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	CEO/President of Route Three Insurance and Financial Services, Inc. CEO/President of MediBid Inc.
Years active	1996–present
Known for	Identifying key economic factors in health care and creating free market solutions
Awards	District Speech Contest Winner Toastmasters International in 1993 Court of the Table MDRT 2005 Court of the Table MDRT 2006
Website	,

Ralph F. Weber (born October 26, 1961) is a Canadian philanthropic entrepreneur, writer, Accredited Estate Planner, Certified Financial Planner, Registered Employee Benefits Consultant, Chartered Life Underwriter, and Chartered Financial Consultant^[1] residing in the United States who participated in a health care forum with presidential hopeful, Rudy Giuliani, during his Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign, 2008 in 2006. Later, Weber contributed to the health care policy reforms of both Giuliani, while he was Mayor of New York City, and California State Assemblyman Mike Villines.^[2] Weber's goal is to create a free-market health care system to help patients save money. He regularly contributes articles and speaks at public and private functions to promote awareness of domestic medical tourism, patient rights, and the economics of health care.

In order to increase transparency and reduce costs of healthcare, Weber has called for the equivalent of a Monroney_sticker to be applied to the pricing of medical care. This "sticker" should disclose the Chargemaster price, the billed price, the allowable price, the discounted price, the paid price, the cash price, and the cost, as well as alternate treatments for the diagnosis.

Early in November, Fox Business news contacted Weber for an interview on Fox Business News ^[3] which aired on the Melissa Francis Money segment.

Background

Ralph Weber lived in several countries as a child, including Canada, Germany, Thailand, and Nepal, allowing him to experience the different health care systems in place.^[4] He attended school at the International School of Bangkok between 1967 and 1976. When he moved back to Canada, he became a member of the Canadian Forces Reserve between January 1978 to March 1982 as a member of the 12 (Vancouver) Service Company, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, then again from January 1990 until June 1995. In 2005, Weber and his family moved to the United States out of concern for the health care needs of his family. In 2013 Ralph Weber became a member of Mensa International

Education

Weber was honorably discharged from the Canadian Army in 1995 and began obtaining his credentials in insurance and finance. He obtained his Insurance License in Ontario, Canada in 1996 and his certificate as a Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC) jointly awarded by The American College at Bryn Mawr and The Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors in 2000. In 2002, he completed the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist Program, a joint program of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and Dalhousie University, and was designated a Group Benefits Associate upon certification. Weber received his Certified Financial Planner certification in Canada in 2003, then in the United States in 2006. Both his Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant designations came from the American College, Bryn Mawr in the United States in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

Publications

Books

"MediCrats: Medical Bureaucrats that Rule your Health Care" First edition (2011) ISBN 9780977753499
"MediCrats: Medical Bureaucrats that Rule your Health Care" Second edition (2013) ISBN 9780977753499

Articles

"Looking out for Number One" American Towman December 2001^[5]
"Cover Your Assets by Protecting Your Income" American Towman August 2004^[5]
“Critical Illness Insurance, America’s Product of the Future” MDRT Member Blog May 2007^[6]
"Critical Illness Insurance" NAIFA's Advisor Today 2006^[7]
“Keeping Your Life Savings with Critical Illness Insurance” MDRT Member Blog May 2007^[8]
"Medicare Administration Costs" 2007^[9]
"Refund Health Insurance: The Latest Concept in Saving Money" American Towman December 2008^[5]
"Healthcare Reform and Towers" American Towman Magazine 2010^[5]
"Medicare vs. Private Admin Costs: Let the Facts Stand" Real Health Reform 2011^[10]

Opinion Editorials

"Business, Policy, and Reform Impacted by Scott Brown Victory"^[11]
"Is a Doctor Strike on the Horizon?"^[12]
"Obamacare Will Lead to Loss of Millions of US Healthcare Jobs" 2010^[13]

Speaker

"Health Forum II" Alliance for Patient Safety, 2008^[14]

“Financing Free Market Medicine” American Association of Physicians and Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2008^[15]
"Alternatives to the High Cost of Medical Care" American Towman Academy Tow Expo, 2009^[16]
"Health Care Bill Facts" Atascadero, CA Tax Day TEA Party, 2010^[17]

“A Canadian Speaks Out About Health Care In Canada” American Association of Physicians and Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2010^[18]

“Asset Protection and other Tools for Physicians Looking to Reduce Third Party Interference in Their Practice” American Association of Physicians and Surgeons Dallas Seminar, 2011^[19]

References