CEO at midstate health insurer meets with Vice President
Photo by AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Vice President Joe Biden stands as President Barack Obama speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, June 25, 2015, in Washington, about that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the subsidies for customers in states that do not operate their own exchanges under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Changes in the health care world aren’t limited to health systems that seemingly merge or affiliate every other week in the midstate.
Health insurers have taken on a more prominent role as well.
Capital BlueCross CEO Gary St. Hilaire recently met with Vice President Joe Biden as part of a roundtable on innovation.
I recently talked with St. Hilaire about the visit.
What issues did you press in your conversation with the Vice President?
“I focused on the need for us to coordinate efforts with primary care, and that really is at the heart of being able to get to preventative care. We have that relationship with their primary care and we can strengthen that relationship, get the consumer to go to their primary care physician on a regular basis and make sure all their care is coordinated.
“We addressed some of the barriers that exist. There’s less availability for folks in primary care, it’s very difficult to get appointments. What do we have to do to get more primary care access? Getting in with the idea of opening up more to nurse practicioners and phsyciain assistants for example, where they can really help serve a critical role in providing primary care to consumers.
What gives you the confidence this could bring change?
“Anytime you can get something not only in the national discussion about the importance of health care, but when you can get national leaders really pressing on those issues, it heightens the conversation. And it also heightens a sense of awareness that things need to happen.
“While there are differences of opinion around the Affordable Care Act, and some of the provisions and maybe folks aren’t always on the same page, the reality is that it proved to be a significant catalyst to change.
“Whenever you have the Vice President, President of the United States speaking on these kinds of important topics, there’s certainly an opportunity for people to hear that more and for action to take place a little more quickly than when you’re having those conversations in kinda discrete and local pockets.”
How did you feel leaving the room?
“I felt very good. I felt that the Vice President not only heard but really engaged in the discussion. I think the fact that he was really willing to step forward and be part of this roundtable intially was a very very good sign. And certainly he didn’t disappoint in terms of his focus on the issues and his understanding of some of the important issues.”
This article appeared originally on witf.org.
