Leaders Discuss Health Care Spending & Innovations to Drive Value

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 27, 2017 – NIHCM Foundation today is bringing a group of leaders with diverse expertise to Capitol Hill to discuss how to reduce costs and improve outcomes in health care—including ideas for reining in prescription drug costs and on-the-ground insights on the transition from fee-for-service to pay-for-quality.

Speakers include Michael Chernew, Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Curtis Barnett, President and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield; David Anderson, President and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and BlueShield of Northeastern New York; and Avik Roy, President of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.

“I think we’re approaching a watershed moment on health spending,” said Nancy Chockley, President and CEO of NIHCM Foundation. “Health care costs have become a heavy burden for individuals and society, but there’s a growing body of evidence on what works and what doesn’t work to control costs. To turn the tide, we’ll need to coordinate across sectors and allow the evidence to guide our choices.”

Curtis Barnett, President and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, added, "We’ve found that private companies and public agencies involved in health care financing have much more in common than not, including a common vision to make quality health care more accessible and affordable for the consumers. For many years in Arkansas, we’ve seen firsthand that through collaboration—the sharing of resources, volumes, strategies and expertise—the private and public sectors can effectively develop and scale innovative programs that drive value and help achieve our common vision."