The Uncertain Future of the Affordable Care Act: Helpful Perspectives from the State of Reform Conference

As we gear up to the inauguration, many in the healthcare world are fielding questions from the public about the uncertain future of the Affordable Care Act. While even those of us “on the inside” don’t have all the answers, there were some bipartisan perspectives from the recent State of Reform Conference that we found helpful:

• Rep. Jim Capretta on Repeal and Delay: Capretta opened the conference by taking the audience through the latest thinking among the incoming administration and current Congressional leaders. Capretta is described as one of the more respected conservative thought leaders in the country and came to the conference from DC, reporting that repeal and delay “is the leading option, they are already moving forward with it, and the probability of it happening is actually pretty high” and sharing his own critique of the current plan’s prospect to “substantially destabilize an already tenuous situation.”
  You can hear more of the thoughts he shared here. | See the presentation slides here.

• Leading health care organizations through a time of transitions: A lunchtime keynote panel with representatives from the Council of Accountable Physician Groups (CAPG), Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), United Healthcare, and the Governor’s Office focused on the challenges and strategies of developing policies and leading healthcare organizations during times of transition. Cassie Sauer, CEO of WSHA, said “what goes in the replace bucket is the key piece” and that in her view, “the value-based purchasing interest remains very strong with hospitals and that commitment to deliver high-quality care and to deliver the most efficient care is something we’re very much behind. I don’t think we’re in a place where we want to go back to fee-for-service. We would like to continue the drive toward value-based payment, for sure.”
  You can hear their conversation here. | Read our blog post on value-based purchasing here.

• Dem. governors discuss state health policy in a Trump administration: As the closing conversation of the day, our own Washington State Governor Inslee joined former Governors Martin O’Malley of Maryland and John Kitzhaber of Oregon for a candid panel discussion addressing the transition. Gov. Inslee touched on the important steps being made toward mental and physical health integration in Washington and reiterated to listeners, “The first thing I would hope people would realize – we’re not powerless in this healthcare debate right now. Whether you’re in public office or not, all of us have a voice.”
  You can hear their conversation here.

Additionally, the Seattle Times also recently published an insightful story reviewing our State’s similar experience with health reform and the subsequent dismantling in the 1990s. You can read the story here.

Emily Wittenhagen
Program Assistant, Bree Collaborative

Ginny Weir
Program Director, Bree Collaborative