Latest / CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. / How Employers Impact Access to Care w/ Employer Coalition on Health President & CEO, Eileen McAnneny | HealthBiz Briefs

Transcript

How Employers Impact Access to Care w/ Employer Coalition on Health President & CEO, Eileen McAnneny | HealthBiz Briefs · CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered.

• 0:06
  Welcome to Health Biz Briefs.
• 0:08
  I'm David Williams, president of Health Business Group here with Eileen McEnany, who leads the Employer Coalition on Health in Massachusetts.
• 0:15
  Welcome, Eileen.
• 0:16
  Thank you.
• 0:17
  Good afternoon, David.
• 0:19
  You know, Romney Care, as it's commonly called, a Chapter 58 in Massachusetts, it was really the kind of the test bed for Obamacare nationwide.
• 0:27
  So I wonder how have things worked out in Massachusetts post -Obamacare, post-Romneycare?
• 0:35
  Well, I would say a couple of things.
• 0:36
  I think Romneycare was evolutionary in Massachusetts.
• 0:40
  It was revolutionary for the nation because Massachusetts was in a different place.
• 0:46
  And the primary purpose of Romneycare was about increasing access with the hope that we would reduce costs over time.
• 0:55
  And I think it was successful in increasing access.
• 0:58
  Massachusetts has the lowest rate of uninsured of any state in the nation, but we still have unfinished work on improving cost.
• 1:07
  Fair enough.
• 1:10
  What role can employers play in healthcare and what barriers tend to get in their way when they try?
• 1:17
  Employers can play a critical role.
• 1:19
  They are the purchases of insurance.
• 1:22
  Really, there are two purchases of health insurance, the government through either Medicaid or Medicare, or the employers and individuals who purchase commercial insurance.
• 1:34
  And so they have an enormous role to play.
• 1:36
  They haven't played a big role as of late.
• 1:40
  And I think that's because certainly they're active trying to manage their business.
• 1:47
  They have a lot of issues to contend with, high inflation, worker shortage, bunch of other things.
• 1:55
  but I think is the cost trend has increased recently pretty dramatically.
• 1:59
  I think they'll refocus on cost and that's the purpose of this employer coalition on health.
• 2:06
  Eileen, you're just starting up this employer coalition on health and I wonder why now and what kind of tangible achievements do you hope to make?
• 2:17
  We're doing it now because Massachusetts has an affordability and a competitiveness problem.
• 2:23
  The governor has certainly said that.
• 2:26
  And the proof is in the pudding.
• 2:27
  We are losing people, young people, workforce age people to other states that have lower cost.
• 2:34
  And housing is a piece of that for sure, but there are other components as well.
• 2:39
  And the cost of healthcare is one of them.
• 2:42
  And so now is the time as we try to improve affordability and competitiveness to really tackle healthcare costs.
• 2:50
  Well, that's it for the latest Health Biz Brief.
• 2:52
  If you like what you hear, check out my Health Biz Podcast for a full -length interview with Eileen about her life and career.
• 2:59
  Eileen McEnany, leader of the Employer Coalition on Health in Massachusetts, thank you for joining me today on Health Biz Briefs.
• 3:07
  My pleasure.
• 3:07
  Thank you, David.