In a survey sent to GJACC members in September of 2018, healthcare costs tied as the top concern for businesses related to workforce issues.
In collaboration with Kim Bimestefer, Executive Director for the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, the Chamber is excited to be discussing a variety of topics (see session plan below) covering the important connection between our workforce and healthcare. Join us on October 23rd at the DoubleTree by Hilton to see how we are working to help you and your business!
Tentative Session Agenda
The Affordability Roadmap: Join us as we examine what drives the rise in health care costs and how Colorado and Mesa County compare to other areas in terms of true costs of health care. Speaker: Kim Bimestefer, Exec. Director of Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
Innovation That Drives Better Utilization & Cost Management: Good data in will result in good data out. Learn about the All Payers Database, what employers can do to help improve this tool and how it can help all of us do a better job of determining costs drivers and potentially impacting that costs through the reports it can and does generate. Speakers: Ana English, CEO, CIVHC, Administrator of the APCD.
Legislative Remedies—What Might They Be and Will They Work?: We saw significant pieces of legislation pass in the 2019 General Assembly Session aimed at helping contain costs for all Coloradoans from bills requiring more transparency to creating a reinsurance mechanism to drive down premium costs on the Health Insurance Exchange. Will it work? Will it be enough? What else is on the table in Colorado that may be part of the discussion when the Colorado Legislature convenes on January 8, 2020? Speakers: State Representative Janice Rich with Michael Conway & Kim Bimestefer
Better Living Through Drugs—Pharmacy Costs: Everyone at one time or another has had sticker shock after a visit to their local pharmacy. Costs to consumers and health insurance plans drive up costs of coverage for everyone. Why are costs so high? Who gets those rebates that the drug companies tout as a way to bring costs down? What can we do as a state and as employers to really impact this sector of health care? Speakers: Cathy Traugott, Pharmacy Manager
The Summit County Model for Employer Driven Pricing: This session will look at health care services and costs, including why costs are different for different market segments and how that impacts small employers. Learn what employers elsewhere are doing differently today to ease the upward pressure on commercial payers and still receive quality care for their employees and their families. Speakers: Claire Brockbank, Segue Consulting, John Bartholomew, Finance Office Director, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and Michael Conway, Colorado Insurance Commissioner
The focus is to engage our small businesses that struggle to offer some sort of health coverage for their employees. Attendees will learn more about the drivers of health care, what new data is showing us and how their counterparts in Summit County partnered with the individual market to negotiate directly with providers which led to an insurance plan design that brought down premium costs.
The Colorado Insurance Commissioner, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing and other key personnel from the State of Colorado will share information from recent studies along with data from the All Payers Database that can help guide our efforts to work together to help ensure our employees can afford health care.
There will also be a discussion about more potential legislation related to health care in the next General Assembly Session which begins on January 8th, 2020 and what next steps we as employers may want to take in Mesa County.
To register, visit www.gjchamber.org and click on the events calendar or email [email protected]
Click here to download the full version of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce October 2019 Newsletter.