State of Reform: Health care policy across the U.S.

Representative Lina Ortega is a Democrat representing Texas House District 77 in El Paso. First elected in 2016, Rep. Ortega now serves on three committees – Public Health, House Administration, and Transportation. In this podcast, Representative Ortega discusses priority legislation in the House Public Health Committee, the economics of healthcare, and working with colleagues across the aisle.

Senator Randi Becker is the Senate Republican Caucus Chair and is a member of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. Rep. Paul Harris is the House Minority Caucus Chair and a member of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee. During this podcast, the two legislators discuss their priority bills, big issues we can expect to be tackled during session, as well as their plans for working through key health policy questions in the 105-day convening.

Representative Nicole Macri serves as the Vice Chair of the Washington State House Healthcare & Wellness Committee as well as Vice Chair of the Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee. In this podcast, Rep. Macri discusses House healthcare leadership, the dynamics in the House Democratic Caucus, as well as her priorities for the 2019 legislative session which include improving Washington’s behavioral health system and addressing the state’s homelessness crisis.

Senator Annette Cleveland is the Chair of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee in the Washington State legislature. Sen. Cleveland recently sat down with State of Reform to discuss her district, her views on the upcoming 2018 elections, and some of her key priorities heading into the 2019 legislative session.

In this podcast, Tracy Bos, General Manager of Senior Markets at Premera Blue Cross, discusses Premera's recent acquisition of Soundpath Health's Medicare Advantage program contract.

We sat down with Republican candidate for Governor of Alaska Mead Treadwell to discuss healthcare in Alaska as well as some of the health-related challenges faced by the state.

Mike Dunleavy, Republican candidate for Governor of Alaska, sat down with State of Reform in Anchorage to discuss health care in Alaska and the unique health issues facing the state.

Today, Premera Blue Cross and MultiCare announced an alliance that promises a better customer experience while providing the right care at a lower cost through a new product Peak Care. In this podcast, we sit down with Bill Robertson, President and CEO of MultiCare and Dr. John Espinola, Executive Vice President of Healthcare Services for Premera to learn more about how this alliance was formed and what it seeks to accomplish.

Pat Allen was named Director of the Oregon Health Authority last fall. In this episode, he walks us through how he has worked to move the OHA forward, including restructuring at the agency and a renewed focus on behavioral health. He also provides insight into the upcoming CCO procurement as the agency continues its work to improve the health care system.

Mike Kreidler is the most senior insurance commissioner in the United States, and is one of the most senior, most well-regarded health policy leaders of any state in the country. He joined us for a one-on-one discussion with DJ Wilson to talk though the state of health policy in 2018, and what we might look for in both Olympia and Washington DC.

The policy community has increasingly galvanized around the need to do something about Texas’s poor performance on maternal health. However, that has not been matched by a consensus about the appropriate policy path forward. This podcast includes some of Texas’s most prominent stakeholders in the policy deliberations on improving maternal health. Amy Young, MD: Chair, Women's Health Dept., Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin Amanda Adkins: Vice President, Population Health, Cerner Adriana Kohler: Senior Health Policy Associate, Texans Care for Children

Both in Hawaii and across the country, the problem and challenge of housing insecurity continues to grow, continues to challenge our sense of community, and continues to fall short of the needs of individuals in distress. This podcasts offers some new ideas and talks through legislative approaches to bridge the world of health care with that of housing insecurity in Hawaii. Hon. Josh Green, MD: Chair, Senate Committee on Human Services Daniel Cheng, MD: Assistant Chief, Emergency Department, The Queen's Medical Center Pam Witty Oakland: Director, Dept. of Community Services, Honolulu County

Accountable Communities of Health were first adopted in Washington State statute in 2014. Four years later, their promise and progress has had mixed results. This session fosters an honest conversation about the future of these new organizations, and the role they may be expected to play moving forward. Amina Suchoski: Executive Director and VP, Growth & Community Development, United Healthcare Community and State Alisha Fehrenbacher: Executive Director, Pierce County ACH Susan McLaughlin: Executive Director, King County ACH

This time of transition challenges leaders to become more creative, more agile, and perhaps more collaborative. This session of executive leaders from Hawaii’s health care sector highlights the principles, strategies, and thinking that underpins the organizational leadership in Hawaii’s health care sector today. Ray Vara: President & Chief Executive Officer, Hawaii Pacific Health Mike Stollar: President & Chief Executive Officer, HMSA Moderated by DJ Wilson, Host of State of Reform

As governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley led one of the most innovative reform efforts to have been implemented in any state. By moving hospitals to a fixed and predictable payment model, incentives for the organizations were redirected from quantity to a new focus on quality. O’Malley was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2016, and made health care an important part of his campaign. We sat down with O’Malley at our 2018 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference, where he was one of the keynote speakers. We talk through some of the health care reforms he worked on in Maryland, and the current state of our national politics.

John Kitzhaber continues to be one of America’s most important thought leaders on the topic of health reform and health policy. The CCO model Oregon adopted under his governorship remains one of the most ambitious re-designs of the health system in any state. This intimate conversation, moderated by DJ Wilson, includes federal policy, a critique of the work in Washington State, and questions from our audience!

The 2018 legislative session is just around the corner. And with a big election year in California, health care politics are becoming even more important. This session will bring you up to speed on what’s happening in Sacramento policy discussions, and point the way towards what to expect in 2018. Kassy Perry: President, Perry Communications David Panush: President, California Health Policy Strategies Jim Gross: Partner, Nielson Merksamer

Elections have consequences, and the upcoming mid-term elections in 2018 will be no different. The first Congressional elections of Pres. Trump’s term may signal a retrenchment of support for his politics nationally. Here in California, statewide and legislative races likely push the state farther from alignment with Washington DC. Walter Zelman: Professor and Department Chair, California State University, Los Angeles John Hoy: Principal, John Hoy Campaigns Mohit Ghose: Partner, Ghose & Associates Note: This was recorded at the 2017 Southern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference on Dec. 5, 2017

These leaders from both the House and the Senate discussed the policy outcomes from the last session, the work underway in the interim, and looked ahead to the 2018 legislative session during the 2017 Oregon State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Hon. Cedric Hayden: Co-Vice Chair, House Committee on Health Care Hon. Tim Knopp: Member, Senate Committee on Health Care Hon. Ron Noble: Member, House Committee on Human Services and Housing

Legislative Democrats joined this panel at the 2017 Oregon State of Reform Health Policy Conference to talk through their priorities, policies, and plans for the 2018 legislature, both for health care and policy in general. Hon. Laurie Monnes Anderson: Chair, Senate Committee on Health Care Hon. Mitch Greenlick: Chair, House Committee on Health Care Hon. Rob Nosse: Vice Chair, House Committee on Health Care

This session turns the tables on health policy discussions in recent years. Instead of answering questions, former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber will be asking them of some of Oregon’s most important players in the health care and health policy worlds. Where is Oregon health care going? Why does policy making appear so difficult? What are the answers to the fiscal challenges? We ended our 2017 Oregon State of Reform Health Policy Conference with this thought provoking session with some of Oregon’s most important health care voices. Imelda Dacones, MD: President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Permanente , P.C. Jeff Heatherington: Chief Executive Officer, FamilyCare Incorporated Janet Meyer: Cheif Executive Officer, Health Share of Oregon Greg Van Pelt: Executive Director, Oregon Health Leadership Council Hon. John Kitzhaber: Former Governor, State of Oregon (moderator)

Few members of Oregon’s policy and political community are as well regarded as former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski. He is the only person to have served in all three branches of Oregon’s government, having been elected to the Supreme Court and the Legislature, in addition to the Governor’s mansion. Governor Kulongoski joined us at our 2017 Oregon State of Reform Health Policy Conference on Oct. 11 in Portland as our Lunch Keynote. DJ Wilson interviewed the Governor on the state of politics in Oregon today, his observations of state-federal relations, and what might be on the horizon.

Knute Buehler is a declared candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in the 2018 general election. He represents Bend in the Oregon House of Representatives, and is trained as an orthopedic surgeon. He joined us as our Morning Keynote at the 2017 Oregon State of Reform Health Policy Conference on Oct. 11 in Portland. He offered prepared remarks which was followed by a Q&A session with DJ Wilson.

Health reform may have stalled in Washington DC, but that doesn’t mean the reform conversation is complete. Whether the US moves to an ACA 2.0 model, or a system that is wholly different from the ACA, reform after the ACA will continue. This group of thought leaders outlined the options, principles, and possibilities for the healthcare system after the ACA at our 2017 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Spokane on September 13. This panel was made up of MaryAnne Lindeblad, the Medicaid Director for the Washington Health Care Authority, Pam MacEwan, CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, and Sue Lani Madsen, host of the Better Health Podcast and columnist at The Spokesman-Review.

Lori Wing-Heier is the Walker Administration’s point person for the stabilization and support of the commercial insurance market. As part of his health policy team, she also has a window into what the Administration is doing related to purchasing of health benefits, to Medicaid reform, and to changes to the administrative code. As our afternoon keynote speaker, she offered closing comments on the state of health insurance in Alaska, including Alaska's 1332 waiver, and then sat down with DJ Wilson for a Q&A session.

US Senator Dan Sullivan has played an active part, if behind the scenes, in working to make sure that any health reform legislation in the Senate protects and improves Alaska’s health care system. The junior Senator from Alaska served as our Morning Keynote speaker via Skype at our 2017 Alaska State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Anchorage on October 3rd. He updated our audience on the latest efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and then had an informal dialog with DJ Wilson about the future of federal health policy.

This panel includes stakeholders from across the spectrum of system-level innovation in Washington State. From Medicaid to counties, health plans to the State, things are changing in healthcare but it’s not always clear that the visions are aligned to be able to achieve real transformation. This panel of some of the leading experts in the state joined our closing panel at our 2017 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Spokane on Sept. 13 to talk through the future of reform in Eastern Washington. This panel was made up of Craig Smith, President of Amerigroup of Washington, Mike Manus, Commissioner of Pend Oreille County, and Antony Chiang, President of Empire Health Foundation in place of Alison Carl White, the Executive Director of Better Health Together.

All “Four Corners” of the legislature were represented in this lunchtime discussion about the state of our politics at our 2017 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Spokane on Sept. 13. After the longest legislative session on record, and a time of coarsening national politics, these four leaders - each deeply esteemed by their peers on both sides of the aisle - talked through the road ahead for Washington State policy and political leaders. This legislative panel was made up of Senator Andy Billig, Senator Ann Rivers, Representative Joe Schmick, and Representative Timm Ormsby with host DJ Wilson serving as moderator.

Mike Kreidler, Washington State's Insurance Commissioner, joined us as our morning keynote speaker at our 2017 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Spokane on Sept. 13. He shared some prepared remarks, then sat down for Q&A with DJ Wilson and members of the audience. He touched on his recent testimony before the US Senate HELP Committee, the state of the ACA in Washington, and what might lie ahead for our region.

Peter Adler, President of Molina Healthcare of Washington sat down with us in Spokane at our Inland Northwest Health Policy Conference in mid-September. As President of the largest carrier on the Exchange in Washington State, Peter talks us through Molina's role in Washington, and on the national level. He is also dialed in to many innovation and reform efforts and gives us his perspective on the Medicaid Demonstration.

We hosted our 2017 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Spokane on Sept. 13. This panel, Policy Leadership: Republicans followed our lunch keynote, which was a four-cornered, bipartisan and bicameral discussion, provides insight into what policies and issues might resurface in the 2018 session. We welcomed Senator Ann Rivers, chair of the Senate Health Care Committee, Representative Joe Schmick, ranking member of the House Health & Wellness Committee, Representative Paul Graves, assistant ranking member of the House Health & Wellness Committee, and Representative Paul Harris, member of the House Health & Wellness Committee.

We hosted our 2017 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Spokane on Sept. 13. This panel, Policy Leadership: Democrats is always well-attended and provides attendees the chance to ask state legislators questions about health policy. We welcomed Senator Patty Kuderer, assistant ranking member on the Senate Health Care Committee, and Representatives Marcus Riccelli and June Robinson, both members of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee to talk through their priorities, policies, and plans for the 2018 legislature, both for health care and policy in general.

We interviewed Alaska State Representative Geran Tarr back in early August. Rep. Tarr co-chaired the House Resources Committee last legislative session, and served on the House Health & Social Services Committee. Rep. Tarr talks us through the budget deal, federal health care reform efforts, and what it means to be an Alaska Democrat.

Representative Marcus Oshiro served as a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since 1995, stepping down last week after Governor Ige appointed him to the Hawaii Labor Relations Board as Chairperson and Representative of the Public. Before his appointment, we sat down with then-Rep. Oshiro at the Council of State Governments Conference in August. Oshiro talked to us about the state of healthcare in Hawaii and some of the politics involved.

Pat Clarey, Chief State Health Programs & Regulatory Relations Officer, HealthNet, Don Crane, Chief Executive Offiver, CAPG and Diana Dooley, Secretary, California Health and Human Services made up our Lunch Executive Keynote Panel at our 2017 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference. What does the path ahead look like for California within the context of the changing federal policy landscape, both in Congress and the administration? Is there a unique role that California can play – in terms of leading other states but also in local implementation – where California can continue to innovate beyond (or in spite of) the federal policy discussion? This panel of experts took up the topic during our lunch program on April 27.

At our 2017 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference, we heard from Jason Burke, Vice President, 3M, John Molina, Chief Financial Officer, Molina Healthcare, and Ken Thorpe, Chair, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease at our Executive Keynote Morning Panel. While the Congressional Republicans had pulled their health reform bill, the issue of health care continues to hang over Washington DC. As elections draw closer, and as advocates build arguments for and against policies in the public conversation, expect a renewed level of energy committed to health reform in the months ahead. This panel of national experts discussed the shape of the conversation, the “fixes” that would be appropriate to the ACA, and where they believe the national reform discussion should lead. Note, this was recorded on April 27, 2017.

For part two of our California legislator podcast, we hear from Assemblymember Jim Patterson, member of the Assembly Health Committee, and Assemblymember Frank Bigelow, Vice Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. They were panelists at our 2017 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference. They spoke to the changing nature of federal-state relations, discussed the challenges of health care in rural areas, and took questions from the audience. This is the second part of a two-part episode. Check out the first half to hear from California Democrats! Note: This was recorded on April 27, before the House passed the AHCA.

With strong majorities in the California Assembly and Senate, legislative Democrats have a range of health policy options to consider. We welcomed Senator Ed Hernandez, Chair of the Senate Health Committee, and Assemblymember Jim Wood, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee as panelists at our 2017 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference to talk about those options. They discussed the challenges of legislating during a time of upheaval in policy at the federal level and answered questions from the audience. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Check out the second half to hear from California Republicans! Note: This was recorded on April 27, before the House passed the AHCA.

We sat down with James Capretta, the Milton Friedman Chair at the American Enterprise Institute in this podcast to talk about the American Health Care Act. He walks us through how the AHCA would work if implemented, points out some of the AHCA's shortfalls and his suggestions, and its possible political consequences for both Republicans and Democrats. Mr. Capretta studies health care, entitlement, and US budgetary policy at the AEI. Before joining the AEI, he spent 16 years in public service, including as an associate director at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget from 2001 to 2004. Earlier, he served as a senior health policy analyst at the US Senate Budget Committee and at the US House Committee on Ways and Means.

Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber joined us at our 2017 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference as our afternoon keynote speaker. He discussed the pathways forward for states like California as they seek to continue progress of reform started by the ACA. Drawing upon his four decades of health policy experience, including reforming Oregon Medicaid, Kitzhaber connected the dots between the opportunity presented by a changing federal policy landscape and the challenges of funding the safety net in California. Ranked second on Modern Healthcare’s 2013 list of Most Influential in Healthcare, ahead of President Obama, Kitzhaber brings a depth of state and national experience few other policy makers can match.

DJ Wilson, host of State of Reform sat down with Nathan Johnson, Chief Policy Officer at the Washington Health Care Authority. Nathan talks through Washington's 1115 Medicaid Waiver and Washington's Medicaid Demonstration Project: Healthier Washington. Healthier Washington aims to build healthier communities, integrate behavioral and physical health, and move to a value-based payment system instead of the fee-for-service model.

We ask health care experts how they're trying to take on a complicated problem: providing quality, affordable health care to people who don't have homes. Produced by Erin Fenner, DJ Wilson and Kylie Walsh.

Congressional Republicans have vowed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and President Donald Trump said as much on the campaign trail. In the state that most contested the ACA, how are people feeling about the new (theoretically) sympathetic leaders in the federal government? Hosted by State of Reform President DJ Wilson. Produced by Erin Fenner and Aaron Horton for State of Reform.

We're health policy nerds, and 2017 is an important time for all of us to pay attention to health care in the U.S. Listen in with us as we explore health care across the country. Contact us at contact@stateofreform.com.