Power Grid Blog
Notes from the Health Care Roundtable
March 7, 2013 | Suheil Thadani
The Healthcare Roundtable convened on March 5th, with about 26 of the industry’s key players in attendance. Mark Perriello opened the session by welcoming the attendees before handing it off to Henry Claypool, who gave opening remarks to frame the discussion and set a theme for the meeting. Mr. Claypool began by reminding the group that those who were formerly denied access to private health insurance in the individual and small group markets, because of pre-existing conditions or disabilities, will now have access to these insurance products through the exchange created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA); coming into effect in January 2014. The ACA gives people with chronic conditions and disabilities new, private health insurance opportunities and, as a result, these individuals will no longer be forced to look to Medicare and Medicaid; when they only need health care insurance coverage.
The discussion of the private market insurance products included cautions about affordability. Industry representatives reminded participants that affordability of coverage was an important consideration. It was brought up that there is a connection between the affordability, expansiveness of coverage, and that the needs of people with chronic conditions and disabilities, which make it difficult to offer an insurance product that responds to all the health care needs; while remaining affordable to Americans who are not interested in health care services typically used by people with chronic conditions and disabilities.
The conversation then turned to exploring ways to provide greater care coordination for Americans, who rely most heavily on health care insurance. Notable among the topics discussed where the Medicare and Medicaid Integrated Care Demonstrations, that almost half of the states in the country are exploring, and the use of managed care to better coordinate services for people with Medicaid; who rely on long-term services and supports. The group also discussed the population covered by the Medicaid expansion and that it will likely include a disproportionate number of people with behavioral health issues, being among the primary issues that managed care companies would need to deal with when serving this population
Attendees talked about the coverage expansion that would come into play; providing people with disabilities access to more affordable coverage to both individuals and employers with new options made available. On the other hand, representatives from the industry conversed about the effects this would have on insurance companies and their ability to provide affordable coverage to members of the community; based on the extra costs associated with pre-existing conditions. The dialogue ran smoothly and provided a forum for healthcare leaders to gain policy insights and advice from one another. Other discussants included: Karen Ignagni (President & CEO, AHIP), Rita Landgraf (Cabinet Secretary, Delaware DHSS), and Merrill Friedman (AAPD Board of Directors); with closing remarks by Ted Kennedy, Jr.
