Annual AHIP conference is all set to take place starting from June 7 in Austin, Texas. This year the main theme of the conference would be navigating the uncertainty of politics and policy. Anthem CEO Joe Swedish would kick off the AHIP conference on the topic of reinventing healthcare for the future.
AHIP Conference: Top Highlights
1. Joe Swedish, Anthem CEO is the board chairman for America’s Health Insurance Plans 2017, the sponsor of the annual AHIP Institute & Expo. David Merritt, executive vice president of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives for AHIP said, Swedish would be laying out the case of how health plans are not only part of the solution, but are actually leading the developments of the future. Merritt also said,
“A few of the things he’ll touch on are what Anthem and health plans are doing on innovation, working with partners to deliver new solutions, and improving the customer experience. Anthem has tried to invest in making the customer experience much more simple and straightforward.”
2. Amid the conference, the healthcare policy expert Michael Chernew would speak on the framework for payment reform and benefit design.
3. Patrick Conway of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would assess the progress being made in alternative payment models.
4. CEOs Eric Schultz of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and David Ricks of Eli Lilly would tackle the affordability of prescription drugs.
5. Doris Kearns Goodwin and David Gergen would be offering their perspectives on the changing political landscape for the closing session on Friday, June 9. David Merritt said,
“Hearing their perspectives, I think will be fascinating,” he added “We know from an industry standpoint, what’s needed from a policy standpoint to improve the market.”
6. A session on the battle for the heart and mind of the healthcare consumer from John Mackey, cofounder and CEO of Whole Foods Market is also expected to be conducted at the AHIP conference. According to Merritt, whole Foods is based in Austin and its business model can be useful to what health insurers are accomplishing in consumer-oriented healthcare. Merritt says,
“Good companies try to learn from other industries,” he added “Whole Foods puts a high premium on the health of their customers. I know there’s a lot of common ground with what health plans are trying to do.”
7. There are trade show where hundreds of vendors, or solution partners, who work with health plans would be in the exhibit hall.
8. Networking events would be held in the mornings over coffee and in the evenings through receptions that include the local music for which Austin is famous.
For Insurers
The Policy Landscape Is Far Different Than The Past
It is expected that by June, the insurers would know more about the policy issues which would impact them. There’s the GOP plan to retract and substitute the Affordable Care Act, the question of federal funding for cost-sharing reduction payments and the health insurance tax. Merritt said,
“The policy landscape is far different than the past” he added “The focus on health reform has the feel of 2009 rather than 2016 because it’s a different landscape than what we had in the past.”
What Are The Insurers Looking For?
Practically as the insurers price their plans for 2018, they are looking for short-term stability and long-term improvement. June 21, is the federal deadline to submit premium rates for the ACA marketplace. Merritt says,
“Where the biggest uncertainty lies is around short-term stability and individual exchanges,” he added “We are talking with policy makers every single day, educating them on what we think is needed to stabilize the market. CSRs are the most pressing priority. By the time June comes around, if we’re still talking about CSRs, we will definitely have a problem in the individual market next year.”
He also said that trends go beyond policy discussions, on session themes on integration, wellness and addressing chronic conditions. “A lot of our plans are looking for innovations to help them improve interactions with customers,” he added “There are too few relationships around performance-based contracting.”
For Consumers
Affordability without a doubt is the top issue for consumers. Merritt said,
“Improving quality can lower costs, be more efficient,” he added “Those have been priorities for a long time. The institute can talk about those improvements and what other plans are doing to make healthcare more affordable and have more quality.”
Date: June 1, 2017