Media Center

Hartford, Friday, April 27, 2007 - A recently-formed coalition of business, healthcare, and health insurance representatives today released to the Legislature consensus principles for effective healthcare reform.

The new coalition, comprising the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), and the Connecticut Association of Health Plans (CTAHP), was formed to create and advocate for health reform principles that build on the strengths of the current healthcare system for covering and delivering care while identifying ways to reduce costs and achieve quality and efficiency. The principles embraced by the coalition draw significantly on the research and policy framework proposed by the Connecticut Health Insurance Policy Council as well as the recommendations of the Connecticut leaders who have made healthcare improvement a priority this year, including Governor M. Jodi Rell, Senate President Donald Williams, House Speaker James Amann, House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, Senate Minority Leader Lou DeLuca, and the legislative proposals of the Program Review and Investigations Committee, the Public Health Committee, the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, the Human Services Committee, and the Appropriations Committee.

“We are a diverse group of organizations with diverse and often conflicting agendas and issues, but we have joined together to advocate for one very important and critical common issue—ensuring that all Connecticut residents have access to high quality, affordable healthcare coverage and service,” said Patrick Charmel, President/CEO of Griffin Hospital in Derby and CHA Chairman.

“Our healthcare system is certainly far from perfect,” said John R. Rathgeber, President and CEO of CBIA. “But Connecticut does a better job insuring people through employer-sponsored health insurance than almost any state in the country. That’s why one of our principles calls for building upon the strengths of the current system. We believe that any health reform plan should reduce the cost of the system, create financial incentives to help small businesses provide health insurance and to help individuals participate in employer-based plans or purchase individual coverage.”

“With continued growth of health services and consumption, health costs have continued to rise. We need to empower and educate individuals about the buying decisions that impact both their well-being and financial health, and how they can best use Connecticut’s healthcare system,” said Mickey Herbert, President and CEO of ConnectiCare. “Thus, our principles call for creating two new entities to encourage healthy lifestyles and to develop an information center to support better healthcare decision making for individuals, government, and the private sector.”

“A major concern we all share about many of the health reform proposals on the table is that they could weaken the current healthcare system and the healthcare safety net on which we all rely,” said Jennifer Jackson, CHA President. “This coalition was built, in part, because we all came to the realization that the practice of shifting the cost of providing care to individuals enrolled in State and Federal healthcare programs to the commercial insurers and the employers who pay their premiums is no longer a viable option. A key principle for reform is that the Legislature must increase reimbursements to providers under the Medicaid and SAGA programs. Rates of payment must be sufficient to cover the cost of care at hospitals and to attract an adequate network of physicians to serve those individuals and families covered by State-funded insurance programs.”

The CHA/CBIA/CTAHP coalition believes that much of the funding for the initiatives contained in its principles can and should be found within existing state and federal resources. For example, savings derived from the use of best practices across all state services should be used to defray the cost of implementing these initiatives. If additional funding is deemed necessary, the group’s principles call for it to come from broad-based—not narrow—revenue sources.

“Achieving healthcare reform is not going to be easy,” said Charmel. “It is going to take courage and it is going to take will. We believe that the Legislature can make the State of Connecticut a leader in health reform that ensures that our residents have access to high quality, affordable health coverage and healthcare services. We look forward to being part of that solution.”