Health Care Leadership Council
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Concerned about the rising cost of health care, the Business Council of Fairfield County convened a Health Care Leadership Council in 2004 to determine what the regional business organization's corporate members could do to control expenses and improve the health of their employers. The rapid increase in the cost of health insurance premiums comes in an era when employers are facing increased global competition and cannot raise prices to cover the increased costs of doing business.

Since its inception, the Council has broadened its scope to concentrate on the issues of health care quality, access and affordability. It develops and publishes health metrics, conducts a communications and events program to raise awareness of health issues and options, hosts best practices exchanges among health care stakeholders, educates small business owners about health insurance options and conducts a public policy advocacy program.

Today the Health Care Leadership Council is a diverse group of employers, providers, payers, and consumer advocates that has produced several policy papers on health care reform, with specific recommendations to solve Connecticut’s health care crisis. The Council has been actively engaged in the work of the Health First Connecticut Authority, the entity created by the Connecticut General Assembly to make recommendations to reform Connecticut’s health care system; the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut; and the Metro Chambers Alliance of regional business organizations.  All organizations have produced policy documents to improve access, quality and cost of the health care system that will likely find its way into legislation this year.

 
2009 Legislative Session
This legislative session was an active one for health care, statewide and nationally. In Connecticut, several proposals were raised aimed at revamping the state health care system, a system that accounts for 1/3 of the state's spending.

Several Critical Health Care Related Bills
The Connecticut Healthcare Partnership bill (the 'pooling bill') - letting small business, nonprofits and towns join the state's health insurance pool - did not receive enough votes to override Governor Rell's veto.

The SustiNet bill, creating a self-insured health care delivery plan, however became law after an override of the Governor's veto.

SustiNet was a health care proposal originally made by the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut. Their stated goal is to make sure everyone in Connecticut has high quality, affordable health care regardless of pre-existing conditions, job changes, self-employment, divorce and other life changes.  A copy of the legislation is available at the Connecticut General Assembly website: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/ACT/PA/2009PA-00148-R00HB-06600-PA.htm

Details of the SustiNet Legislation: Establishment of Board of Directors
The SustiNet Legislation creates a
 SustiNet Health Partnership board of directors. The board of directors shall consist of nine members, as follows:

the Comptroller;
the Healthcare Advocate;
one appointed by the Governor, who shall be a representative of the nursing or allied health professions;

one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who shall be a primary care physician;
one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be a representative of organized labor;
one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall have expertise in the provision of employee health benefit plans for small businesses;
one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall have expertise in health care economics or health care policy;
  - one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall have expertise in health information technology;
one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall have expertise in the actuarial sciences or insurance underwriting;
the Comptroller and the Healthcare Advocate shall serve as the chairpersons of the Board of Directors. 

Establishment of Committees and Taskforces
An information technology advisory committee that shall formulate a plan for developing, acquiring, financing, leasing or purchasing fully interoperable electronic medical records software and hardware packages for subscribing providers;

A medical home advisory committee that shall develop recommended internal procedures and proposed regulations governing the administration of patient-centered medical homes that provide health care services to SustiNet Plan members;
A health care provider advisory committee that shall develop recommended clinical care and safety guidelines for use by participating health care providers;
A preventive health care advisory committee that shall use evolving medical research to draft recommendations to improve health outcomes for members in areas involving nutrition, sleep, physical exercise, and the prevention and cessation of the use of tobacco and other addictive substances;
A task force to study childhood and adult obesity;
A task force to study tobacco use by children and adults
;
A task force to study the state's health care workforce.

It is too early to determine how the SustiNet Health Partnership Board of Directors and the Governor’s Connecticut Health Care Reform Advisory Board will interact.  No doubt that there will be more to follow in the coming months.  Stay tuned.

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Recent Reports

 

Tanya Court, The Business Council's Director of Public Policy and Programs, was recently interviewed on the need for a community health data system by the Connecticut Health Foundation. Read the article >>
Business Council releases updated Connecticut Health Scorecard
Dec 2007
Full report (1.7M pdf)
Scorecard Summary (pdf)

Business Council releases strategic plan to address health care worker shortage, Dec 2007 download the pdf

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