National and state thought leaders to speak at health care affordability summit in Seattle.
SEATTLE – With health care foremost on the minds of voters as they head to the polls in two weeks, the Washington Health Alliance is convening a one-day summit of health care thought leaders to discuss possible solutions to the crisis in health care affordability in our state on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 in Seattle.
“Consumer out-of-pocket health care spending is rising almost four times faster than household income, leaving even insured Americans wondering how they will be able to afford health care,” says Nancy Giunto, Executive Director of the Washington Health Alliance. “We know that health care costs are driven by price, waste and a payment system that incentivizes volume over value. We are all part of the problem, so we need to work together to align creative strategies that will drive positive change in our state.”
Funded in part by a grant from the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “The Road to Affordable Health Care: Where do we go from here in Washington state?” will bring together employers, payers, providers, policy-makers, consumer groups and other health care thought leaders to accelerate strategies for reigning in the skyrocketing costs of medical care.
Among the featured speakers are Dave Chase, co-founder of the Health Rosetta and author of The CEO’s Guide to Restoring the American Dream, Niall Brennan, President and Executive Director of the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), and Eliot Fishman, Senior Director of Health Policy for Families USA.
Co-sponsors of the event include Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.; Association of Washington Cities; Confluence Health; Eastside Health Network; Kaiser Permanente Washington; The Everett Clinic; Virginia Mason; Washington Health Benefits Exchange; Washington State Health Care Authority, and 10xHealth.
PRESS IS WELCOME TO ATTEND: For information on schedule and location, or for interviews, contact Rebecca Snyders, rsnyders@wahealthalliance.org, (206) 454-2961 or (206) 910-5366.
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Tags: Affordability, Health Care Affordability, Washington Health Alliance, Community Checkup, Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, NRHI. #AffordHCWA
About the Washington Health Alliance
The Washington Health Alliance is a place where stakeholders work collaboratively to transform Washington State’s health care system for the better. The Alliance brings together organizations that share a commitment to drive change in our health care system by offering a forum for critical conversation and aligned efforts by stakeholders: purchasers, providers, health plans, consumers and other health care partners. The Alliance believes strongly in transparency and offers trusted and credible reporting of progress on measures of health care quality and value. The Alliance is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit with more than 185 member organizations. A cornerstone of the Alliance’s work is the Community Checkup, a report to the public comparing the performance of medical groups, hospitals and health plans and offering a community-level view on important measures of health care quality.