Government Issues and Politics
Insurance and Employee Benefits
Business and Economic Info
Human Resources and Safety
Education Policies and Practicies
Training and Consulting Services
Welcome to CBIA's Training and Consulting site!
Small Business Human Resources Workforce Development Your Questions Answered Success Stories

continued from page 1

Flawed legislation

 

Federal plan could add costs

Whatever the cost of the SustiNet plan, it will be in addition to the cost of federal health care reform, and that could be significant. At the summer meeting of the National Governors Association, Republican and Democratic governors alike expressed concern that the federal reform plan may involve unfunded mandates on the states—in particular, to cover new Medicaid obligations. All the federal health care proposals call for increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid as a way to get health coverage to more people. Since the states share Medicaid costs with the federal government, they would bear some of the financial burden for that increase.

Jumping the gun

The SustiNet proposal was moved forward despite the fact that the Obama administration has made health care reform at the federal level a top priority. The plan makes no attempt to coordinate with related proposals now under active consideration in Washington.

“That’s a big mistake,” says Eric George, CBIA associate counsel and health care policy specialist. “Proponents of SustiNet were premature in pushing legislation before the Obama administration and Congress fully arrive at their own health care strategy later this year. No one has any idea if the SustiNet plan will work under new federal rules.

“While there’s no denying that Connecticut residents urgently need improved health care, increased access, and relief from rising costs,” adds George, “it makes no sense to proceed without coordinating state efforts with those of the federal government.”

Major players left out

At the federal level, the current administration has attempted to involve all major stakeholders in the crafting of a reform plan, recognizing the critical importance of achieving consensus-driven solutions. Unfortunately, the General Assembly did not make the same effort when it adopted the SustiNet proposal.

The SustiNet plan does specify the health care stakeholders to serve on its board of directors, including organized labor, a state health care advocate, and health care providers. But (incredibly) the plan contains no requirement that the employer community, hospitals, or the insurance industry be represented.

It was no surprise, then, that when the makeup of the SustiNet board was announced on Aug. 6, many major stakeholder groups were conspicuously absent. Although the board includes a hospital employee—Norwalk Hospital Vice President and CIO Jamie Mooney, a specialist in health information technology—it has no members representing the voice of the business community or the health insurance, pharmaceutical, or bioscience industries. (See the list of SustiNet board members, at www.osc.state.ct.us/public/pressrl/2009/august06.htm.)

Critelli believes such a health care reform decision-making body should be inclusive rather than exclusive. “To deny key stakeholders the opportunity to be part of the health care planning and visioning process of this state is wrong.”

Rathgeber agrees. “The greatest benefit that an authority like the one envisioned under the SustiNet plan would be that of an analyzer and consensus builder. A well-conceived authority could be a true health care advisory that would collect data, analyze it, and then issue a real report with real recommendations. It should be made up of the best and brightest minds from the entire health care community.

“This health care advisory could truly become a driver of Connecticut health care policy,” adds Rathgeber. “But it needs to be depoliticized, and it needs to collect and analyze information before it acts. It cannot simply presume that certain policy considerations are the ‘way to go.’ And it must not simply become the arm of any advocacy group.”

Finally, he notes, “There really is a compelling need not only to study health care reform but also to forge genuine consensus among all health care stakeholders—activists, the business community, insurers, health care providers, and government—on the best approach. True reform will not happen without consensus.”

Not a done deal

Although the SustiNet bill has become law, the details of the plan—or whether it gets implemented at all—will ultimately be up to the General Assembly to determine. Many factors may influence lawmakers’ thinking in 2011 when they review the SustiNet board’s recommendations. For example, what impact will federal health care reform have, and will the federal plan obviate the need for SustiNet? Will fiscal and economic conditions allow the state to afford a new, $1 billion-plus health care program?

In addition, on July 8, Gov. Rell issued an executive order establishing a Health Care Reform Advisory Board that will help position Connecticut for national reform. The 15-member body will be appointed by the legislature and charged with developing a set of proposed health care policies in response to the health care plan expected from the Obama administration and Congress. What impact this group’s recommendations will have on the fate of the SustiNet plan is not yet known.

Voice your views

All of those unknowns mean that Connecticut’s business community still has an opportunity to influence the health care debate and have a say in whether SustiNet’s vision for a costly expansion of state government becomes a reality.

CBIA believes that the focus of health care reform should be on shoring up our current, employer-based system while strengthening the public safety net so that no one is left uncovered. The state can help achieve those goals by, among other things, increasing reimbursements under Medicaid and other public programs in order to end the cost-shift from the public to the private sector and reduce the number of uninsured citizens.

In the weeks and months ahead, we urge you to contact your legislators and ask them these questions: How can we bring more affordable health insurance to the marketplace without raising taxes on businesses and individuals already struggling financially from the recession? How can we improve the quality of health care and secure insurance for more people without increasing the size and cost of the state bureaucracy?

For information on those questions and other key issues in the health care debate, and to learn how you can get involved in advancing health care reform in Connecticut, contact Eric George at 860-244-1921 or eric.george@cbia.com.

previous