Health Care Leaders Debate "Medicare for All" the Affordable Care Act and the Impact of Technology on Access and Cost at Miami Business School Conference

 

Leaders Agree that a Single-Payer System or an ACA Repeal Would Exacerbate Health System Issues

 

Health care leaders addressed pivotal questions about “Medicare for All,” the Affordable Care Act, health care delivery in the Americas, and disruptive technologies at the University of Miami Business School’s eighth annual business of health care conference.

Presented by Florida Blue, “The Business of Health Care: Technology & People: U.S. & Beyond” drew a record 900 business executives, policymakers, faculty and students from around the world to the University of Miami’s Watsco Center on Friday, March 29. 

“With policymakers in Washington turning their attention to health care policy, this was certainly a timely conference and produced consensus around some critical questions of our time,” said Steven G. Ullmann, director of the school’s Center for Health Management and Policy, and the conference host. 

 

The heads of the six leading health care provider, insurance and business organizations – the American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, Healthcare Financial Management Association, Medical Group Management Association and American Hospital Association – agreed that neither “Medicare for All,” defined as a single-payer system, nor the dismantling of the ACA are the best approaches to address health care access and affordability. 

 

Last week’s move by the U.S. Justice Department not to defend the ACA in the courts, creates greater instability within the health care system that could drive up premiums and other costs, panelists said. Instead, they agreed that lawmakers and the industry should focus on fixing the ACA and providing universal health care coverage.

“We should be talking about universal coverage, rather than relying only on the federal government for reimbursement,” said Maryjane A. Wurth, executive vice president and COO of the American Hospital Association. “Let’s strengthen what we have and move forward."

Patrick J. Geraghty, president and CEO, GuideWell and Florida Blue, who moderated the policy discussion, said it was encouraging to hear these health care leaders agree on fundamental issues. “This panel provided a unique opportunity to hear from key leaders, who advocate for different stakeholders, all at one time,” Geraghty said. “One of the challenges facing our health care system is aligning various points of view.”

 

How other countries address health care access and delivery was addressed by a panel featuring the health ministers of Argentina, Colombia and Jamaica. Dr. Juan Pablo Uribe Restrepo, Colombia’s minister, said providing universal coverage under a multiple payer structure has been successful in reaching 97 percent of the country’s 50 million people. 

“Our challenges include delivering quality care, addressing vector-borne diseases and training nurses and other skilled professionals,” he said. “We are also investing in data analytics to predict patterns of certain diseases.”

 

Conference panelists debated the impact of technology and the ability of consumers to increasingly monitor and diagnose their health. Matt Eyles, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said the U.S. health care system is experiencing the “best and worst of times in technology” as the sector moves past legacy systems to new platforms providing real-time information on patient care, cost and quality. 

 

“We are at an awkward stage as investments have been made, but the returns haven’t come in yet,” Eyles said. For example, panelists said that investments in electronic medical record platforms have yet to yield the desired benefits for patient care.

 

Dr. Rubin Pillay, a medical futurist, physician and entrepreneur, said the rapid pace of innovation in smart phones and wearables is giving consumers greater autonomy over their health and is driving systemic changes.

 

“Today, we have Flintstone business and operating models wrapped around Jetson-era technologies,” Pillay said. “Our health care leaders and managers need to look at things differently.”

 

While technology can help with care management, there is a “natural disconnect” between who is using the technology and who is paying for it “and everything in between,” said Dr. Brian Holzer, CEO, Lacuna Health, in Louisville. “I worry about the actionability of all these new technologies…when they’re not set up for interoperability,” he said. 

For more information about the conference, visit #HealthCare19 and https://www.bus.miami.edu/thought-leadership/business-conferences/business-health-conference/2019/index.html.

 

About Miami Business School: 

Founded in 1929, Miami Business School is part of the University of Miami and graduates around 600 undergraduate business majors and 600 master’s students in business each year. It has grown to become a recognized leader in preparing both individuals and organizations to excel in the complex, dynamic, and interconnected world of global business. Miami Business School offers undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and executive education programs with the academic rigor, hands-on classroom experience and award-winning faculty associated with a liberal arts education. 

 

Miami Business School’s Executive MBA in Health Management & Policy program is among the top 20 Best Health Care Management Programs in the nation, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. It is also the highest ranked health executive MBA program nationwide and the top-ranked health care management program in Florida.

Following the appointment of its new Dean in 2017, Dr. John Quelch, Miami Business School reaffirmed its commitment to students, alumni, faculty, greater Miami and the rest of the world through its new vision: shaping and deploying a generation of analytical, sustainability-minded leaders with a global perspective committed to making a lasting impact, no matter where our graduates and stakeholders eventually call home. www.bus.miami.edu 

 

About the University of Miami:

The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. www.miami.edu