Largely with the exception of the 2010 passage of the ACA, federal legislative (and regulatory) efforts to reform health care over the past few decades has lagged. This is the result of an increasingly dysfunctional Congress. For example, Congressional productivity, measured by the number of enacted laws, has decreased every decade since 1990 by over 20 percent. For this reason and because states are required to balance their annual budgets (with the exception of Vermont and possibly North Dakota and Wyoming as well), health care policy innovation has shifted substantially to the states. For example, the 2019 legislative session resulted in 29 states passing Medicaid-related legislation, 13 states passing health insurance legislation and 10 states passing health care assignment and billing legislation.
During this 24 minute conversation, Dr. Delbanco begins by briefly explaining the Catalyst for Payment Reform's mission and members. She moreover discusses state policy reforms related to data (i.e., All Payer Claims Databases) and price transparency, efforts to improve state market competition, delivery and payment reforms, for example, reference pricing or benchmarking to Medicare reimbursement and she identifies states that are particularly noteworthy in their efforts to improve care delivery and lower spending growth.
Dr. Suzanne F. Delbanco is the Executive Director of Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR), an independent, non-profit corporation working to catalyze employers, public purchasers and others to implement strategies that produce higher-value health care and improve the functioning of the health care marketplace. In addition to her duties at CPR, Suzanne serves on the advisory board of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute. Previously, Suzanne was the founding CEO of The Leapfrog Group. Suzanne holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy and a M.P.H. from the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.
For information on CPR go to: https://www.catalyze.org/.
Dr. Delbanco (and colleagues') recently published article, "The State of State Legislation Addressing Health Care Costs and Quality," is at: https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20190820.483741/full/.
Per Dr. Delbanco's reference to The Source, U. of CA Hastings College of Law's recently posted online database of state laws impacting health care cost and quality, go to: https://sourceonhealthcare.org/legislation/.
Catalyst for Payment Reform's Suzanne Delbanco Discusses State Health Care Innovation (September 23rd)