BMA Event

Event Recap: HealthCare Decoded 2019

March 26, 2019

Healthcare Decoded was a Roll Call Live event sponsored by Better Medicare Alliance in partnership with CQ news. The event discussed current health care issues such as combating rising drug prices and innovating to control health care costs. Opening remarks were provided by the moderator, Jason Dick from CQ News followed by a panel discussion with Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) on hot health care topics being debated on Capitol Hill. The event also included a live interview of Allyson Y. Schwartz, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance conducted by Phil Galewitz of Kaiser Health News and two panels with representatives from PhRMA, PCMA, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.

The event was live-streamed and 131 attended from a cross-section of industry, government, associations and working media.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
  • DeGette and Guthrie discussed the most pressing health care issues Congress will face this year. As well as, the importance of upcoming Congressional hearings on the cost of insulin as part of efforts in Congress to tackle and address the rising drug prices.
  • Schwartz discussed the new flexibilities in Medicare Advantage, and the benefits of addressing social determinants of health for the future of Medicare innovation.
  • In the panel discussion on combating rising drug prices with Kristin Bass of PCMA and Jennifer Bryant of PhRMA, both parties agree on a need for competition in the drug market to protect patients from high costs.
  • Bass emphasized that a pending Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Office of Inspector General (OIG) proposal to eliminate current Medicare drug rebate could hurt Medicare beneficiaries. Bass raised concerns that drug manufacturers would not be able to lower drug prices as much as pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) do through negotiations.
  • During the panel discussion on health care costs with James Capretta of American Enterprise Institute and Dr. Paul Ginsburg of USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy, the experts discussed the need to make sure beneficiaries know what their options are.
  • They also discussed high enrollment in innovative Medicare Advantage plans and progress in care delivery in private Medicare.
SPEAKERS:
  • Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.
  • Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.
Interviewed by Mary Ellen McIntire, Staff Writer, CQ Roll Call
  • Allyson Y. Schwartz – President and CEO, Better Medicare Alliance
Interviewed by Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News
  • Kristin Bass, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer, PCMA
  • Jennifer Bryant, Senior Vice President, Policy and Research, PhRMA
Interviewed by Andrew Siddons, Staff Writer, CQ Roll Call
  • James Capretta, Resident Fellow and Milton Friedman Chair, American Enterprise Institute
  • Dr. Paul Ginsburg, Director, USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy
Interviewed by Rebecca Adams, Health Editor, CQ Roll Call

 

View the full event broadcast here.
View the full interview with Allyson Y. Schwartz, BMA President & CEO here
View conversation of the event on Twitter search #HealthCareDecoded
See below for photos from the event.

 

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