Health Care Reform

Jean Sullivan on February 9, 2011 addressed the national Association of Reimbursement Officers (NARO) in a nationally broadcast webinar for Medicaid Directors and reimbursement officers called, Federal Health Care Reform, So Far:  Overview and Reflections.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation/Massachusetts Health Policy Forum featured the report, Re-Forming Reform:  What the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Means for Massachusetts   by Robert Seifert and Andrew Cohen.  It examines how national health care reform impacts Massachusetts.  View the Forum Presentation  

The Center's Director and senior associates have advised New Hampshire officials, legislators, policymakers, researchers and advocates on several health reform topics, including uncompensated care policy; financing for hospital charity care, Medicaid, and the DSH program; options for expanded health access; eligibility for disability benefits, and state responsibilities under the federal health reform law, PPACA.  These projects involve policy and cost analysis, redesign of health care programs, and impact analysis of the new federal health law, PPACA.  These efforts have been supported in part by Grants from the Endowment of Health and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and funded through contracts with Health Strategies, Inc., and the University of New Hampshire's Institute for Health Policy and Practice.

The Governor's Office of Health Policy & Finance in Maine has contracted with CHLE to help plan implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act .  CHLE Senior Staff is working closely with the Governor's office to build on their already impressive record -- Maine ranks 6th best in the country in covering uninsured -- by analyzing the federal law's potential effects on Maine policy, identifying key decisions the state will need to make, and helping to lay out a timeline and process for making those decisions.  CHLE is partnering with Bailit Health Purchasing and Amy Lischko, a former Massachusetts health policy official, on this project.  There is ample lead time for states to implement the law, but much to be done.  Maine officials are taking advantage of the time to inform themselves thoroughly and make the best decisions based on this information; CHLE is playing an important role in providing the information.  CHLE's Robert Seifert and Andrew Cohen were part of the Bailit Health Purchasing team that assisted Maine's Advisory Council for Health System Design write the report, Options and Opportunities for Implementing the Affordable Care Act in Maine, in December, 2010.  It is posted on Maine's web site:  http://maine.gov/healthreform.

For Connecticut's SustiNet Health Partnership, CHLE is providing staff support, research and analysis to the SustiNet Board of Directors and its Advisory Committees and Task Forces to help design a public option health plan that:  1) builds upon state implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act;  2) slows the growth in health care spending;  3) promotes improved quality of care and health care delivery system reforms; and  4) increases access to health insurance for Connecticut residents.  CHLE is partnering with Arrowhead Health Analytics, and with Linda Green, a former Massachusetts health policy official, on this project.  This work is supported by funding from the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut and the Connecticut Health Foundation.  The Connecticut's SustiNet Health Partnership Board of Directors which issued its Final Report to the Connecticut General Assembly in January, 2011.

For Colorado's Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC), CHLE will provide expert advice, via CHLE's partner Freedman HealthCare, on lessons learned from Massachusetts and other states in developing an All Payer Claims Database (APCD), including building consensus among stakeholders, designing meaningful measures, aggregating and cleaning data, achieving transparency, and meeting policy and research needs.  CIVHC is a public-private agency created to identify and advance statewide initiatives that enhance consumers' health care experiences, contain costs and improve the health of local residents by creating an efficient, high quality and transparent health care system.

National Health Reform: Implications for Massachusetts was presented to the UMMS Graduate School of Nursing Alumni Association on June 4, 2010 by Katharine London.

An analysis for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation called National Health Care Reform and Its Impact on Massachusetts, written by Senior Staff. 

Explaining the MassHealth Waiver and its Implications for Health Care Reform
Senior staff researched and presented a comprehensive issue brief, The MassHealth Waiver: 2009–2011 … and Beyond at a February 2009 state-wide public forum that included over 200 key stakeholders in Massachusetts’ health care reform process.  Stephanie Anthony presented the issue brief at the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum.

Analyzing the Shared Responsibility of Financing Health Care Reform
Requested by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, senior staff researched, analyzed and reported on Shared Responsibility — Government, Business, and Individuals, Who Pays What for Health Reform?

How Coordinated Care Programs Can Improve Quality and Save Costs
The delivery of health care in the United States is fragmented and uncoordinated, adding to costs and jeopardizing quality. This issue brief, written for Community Catalyst, examines how health care can be delivered more smoothly and efficiently, particularly for people with chronic illnesses and complex needs.