Health Plan Alliance brings the national conversation on value-based insurance design to Southlake, Texas April 5-7
Health Plan Alliance
03/06/2017
The Health Plan Alliance 2017 Spring Leadership Forum is April 5-7 in Southlake, Texas. This year's event brings together executive team members from health plans and their provider partner organizations to discuss how independent and provider-owned health plans can achieve the value of a value-based approach. The future of the Affordable Care Act is being vigorously debated on the national stage and, while it has created new uncertainty for health plans operating in the Medicaid and individual markets, the debate continues to validate bipartisan support for “achieving value in health care.” In fact, the Spring Leadership Forum’s keynote speaker, the University of Michigan’s Mark Fendrick, M.D., was invited to a February 2017 bipartisan briefing on the role of value-based insurance design (V-BID), at which members of congress highlighted their support of V-BID and their expectations of its role in continued health care reform.
Dr. Fendrick joins the Alliance membership at the Spring Leadership Forum to share his vision of the “high value health plan (HVHP)” and why he believes that, no matter how health care reform evolves, V-BID will continue to be the touchstone of bipartisan conversation. In his presentation on April 5th, Dr. Fendrick outlines the vision he’s communicated to Congress, and explains how it aligns with the priorities of the new administration. “Given the priority role of HSAs to the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress, it is important that regulatory barriers be removed to allow health plans coupled with HSAs the flexibility to best serve the health of enrollees,” Fendrick says. “Our innovative HVHP concept provides broader coverage, while preserving the spirit of consumer engagement, accountability, and transparency in consumer-directed health plans.”
Dr. Fendrick’s presentation kicks off the 2 ½ day event, which also features health plan case studies of value-based insurance design in action. In addition, Bob Atlas, president of EBG Advisors, dives deep into MACRA and discusses the implications and opportunities physician payment reform presents for health plans. Ceci Connolly, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) also joins the speaking faculty. ACHP advocates on behalf of non-profit health plans and the organization focuses on the role of high quality in payment reform efforts. Her team has been working diligently throughout the transition to the new administration to keep this conversation going and she shares ACHP’s priorities, expectations and what they advise their health plan members to prepare for in 2017 and beyond.
While we believe health care reform efforts will continue to focus on value based insurance design and aim to expand coverage in a way that improves health and addresses rising costs, there is no certainty in what path will ultimately lead us there. All health plan leaders operating in government sponsored health care programs are accustomed to leading despite uncertainty. But the current policy and regulatory climate is unlike any we’ve seen in many years – to help Alliance member health plan leadership team’s prepare for whatever is coming next, the Spring Leadership Forum also features a ½ day workshop on April 7th: Scenario planning for health policy led by Spring Street Exchange. No one knows the policy environment that will be guiding our industry. Rather than halt investments and wait for clarity, many organizations are using scenario planning to articulate the various potential future states and then define a business response to each. This low-tech, high-value process enables companies to stay engaged and active while waiting for the dust to settle. During this workshop, Alliance members will test the scenario planning process with regard to the insurance regulatory environment.
The Spring Leadership Forum is a private event, for Health Plan Alliance member health plans and invited guest organizations only. Alliance members can register on healthplanalliance.org. For more information or assistance, email info@healthplanalliance.org.