Epstein Becker Green and EBG Advisors, as part of the Thought Leaders in Population Health Speaker Series, hosted a complimentary webinar on emerging trends in value-based purchasing in health care. The session featured a former key official from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Gary Cohen, JD, who played a central role in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act over the past several years. The session, The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Population Health Management, assessed how much progress the federal and state governments have made expanding health care coverage and bending the cost curve. Specific insurance reforms to the individual and small group markets were examined along with emerging trends such as the role of accountable care organizations (ACOs), patient accessibility issues, and the drive towards integrated population health solutions.
Cohen offered a unique perspective, since he has worked both as a federal and state regulatory official. He has served as the Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS; General Counsel, California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California); and Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel at the California Department of Insurance. Lynn Shapiro Snyder, Senior Member, Epstein Becker Green, moderated the session.
This session focused on key challenges that still lay ahead, including:
- The need to stabilize the federal eligibility and enrollment platform;
- Outreach to and enrollment of harder to reach populations;
- Establishment and launch of the SHOP exchanges; and,
- Ensure the “backend” payment system is working before the second open enrollment period begins on November 15, 2014.
In addition, Cohen also provided a report on the ACA’s progress as well as an overview of narrow networks, transparency and access to coverage.
The Thought Leaders in Population Health Speaker Series offered participants informative and insightful guidance on how population health strategies are transforming the health care paradigm as the industry moves towards measurement and management of integrated delivery systems such as accountable care organizations (ACOs). All previous webinar programs can be viewed online.
“The Population Health Webinar Series attempts to find some common ground for health care professionals and other health care stakeholders by identifying best practices and creating a call to action for collaboration and outcomes improvement nationwide,” said Mark Lutes, Chair of Epstein Becker Green’s Board of Directors. “From the Affordable Care Act and data analytics to advancement in health IT systems, a number of factors are having a significant impact on the health care delivery system.”
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The Speakers
Gary Cohen, Principal, Gary M. Cohen Consulting
Gary M. Cohen is the Principal in Gary M Cohen Consulting, providing legal and strategic solutions to clients in the health care and insurance industries. He sits on the Board of Directors of Blue Shield of California. Gary recently served as Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In that position he was responsible for implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the private health insurance market. Gary previously served as Director of Oversight in CCIIO, where he was responsible for implementation, compliance and enforcement of the market rules, rate review and medical loss ratio provisions of the ACA. He has served as General Counsel of the California Health Benefit Exchange (CoveredCA), Chief of Staff to Congressman John Garamendi, and General Counsel of the California Department of Insurance and the California Public Utilities Commission. Before entering government service, Gary was Chief Counsel of Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and a partner in the law firms of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal (now Dentons LLP) and Keker & Van Nest. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Brown University.
Lynn Shapiro Snyder, Senior Member, Epstein Becker Green
Lynn Shapiro Snyder is a Senior Member of Epstein Becker Green in the Health Care and Life Sciences and Litigation practices in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, and she is Strategic Counsel with EBG Advisors, Inc. Ms. Snyder has over thirty five years of experience at Epstein Becker Green, advising clients about federal, state, and international health law issues, including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, compliance, and managed care issues. Her clients include health care providers, payors, pharmaceutical/device manufacturers, and those companies and financial services firms that support the health care industry. Ms. Snyder also is founder and President of the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation.
