COLUMBUS – The Ohio Health Care Coverage and Quality Council (HCCQC), created March 2009 in an Executive Order by Governor Ted Strickland, will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, July 15th on the 31st floor of the Riffe Center, located in downtown Columbus. A morning orientation session will start at 10:00 a.m., followed by the 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. meeting. The HCCQC was formed to facilitate the implementation of strategies that will improve the quality and decrease the cost of Ohio’s health care and coverage systems.
The HCCQC is charged with advancing the recommendations contained in the Ohio Health Quality Improvement Plan (OHQIP), which was developed with the involvement of more than 300 participants interested in health care system reform. Among the specific responsibilities of the council is advising the Governor and General Assembly on strategies to improve health care programs and health insurance policies, studying health financing alternatives, recommending improvements in data reporting to increase transparency and consistency, recommending minimum coverage standards, supporting the implementation of health information technology, assisting employers in adopting cafeteria plans and producing an annual report.
“A staggering number of approximately 1.3 million Ohioans do not have health insurance. This is an unacceptable figure that we must work to reduce,” said Mary Jo Hudson, Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, which will administer the HCCQC. “The council will focus on the implementation of strategies for improving access to health insurance by addressing the cost and quality of the state’s health insurance and health care systems.”
The HCCQC will build upon Ohio’s participation in the State Coverage Initiative (SCI), which issued a report in July 2008, and the OHQIP. All of these reports can be accessed at www.healthcarereform.ohio.gov.
Using subject-matter expertise and experience as the selection criteria, the Governor appointed state agency members and other individuals to represent health reform constituencies from all areas of the state to the council. State legislative leadership selected legislative members for the HCCQC.
The HCCQC is chaired by Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson and is comprised of the following members: Cynthia Burnell, HCCQC, Executive Director; John Corlett, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Medicaid Director; Dr. Alvin Jackson, Ohio Department of Health, Director; Greg Pawlack, Ohio Department of Administrative Services, Benefits Manager; Cristal Thomas, Executive Medicaid Management Administration, Executive Director; Dave Burke, Ohio House of Representatives, Representative; Sue Morano, Ohio Senate, Senator; State Senator (TBA by Ohio Senate President); State Representative (TBA by Speaker of Ohio House); Ron Bridges, Government Affairs AARP, Associate Director; Rob Edmund, The Ohio Business Roundtable, Director of Policy and General Counsel; Margie Eilerman, Sidney Shelby County Health Department, Director of Nursing; Steven Gabbe, MD, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Senior VP and CEO; Janet Grant, CareSource, Executive VP; Oliver Henkel, Cleveland Clinic, Chief Government Relations Officer; Erin Hoeflinger, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ohio, President; Aristotle Hutras, Ohio Retirement Study Council, Director; Tom Joseph, Local 50 Plumbers, Steamfitters and Service Mechanics; Business Manager; Teresa Koenig, MD, SummaCare, Senior VP and Chief Medical Officer; Cathy Levine, UHCAN Ohio, Executive Director; Fred McGraw, Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Director of Education and Research; Steve Millard, Council of Smaller Enterprises, President and Executive Director; Doni Miller, Neighborhood Health Association, CEO; D. Brent Mulgrew, Ohio State Medical Association, Executive Director; Margaret W. Namie, Mercy Health Partners, VP of Quality; Holly Saelens, AMERIGROUP Community Care, VP; Richard Snow, DO, MPH, Applied Health Services, Medical Director; Craig Strafford, MD, MPH, Holzer Clinic, Inc., Director of Clinical Research; Judith Warren, Health Care Access Now, Executive Director; Becky Williams, Service Employees International Union District 1199, President; Christine M. Williams, RN, MSN, CNP, Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses, Family Nurse Practitioner; and Hubert Wirtz, The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers, CEO.
Those interested in learning more about the HCCQC and efforts to reform health care in Ohio should visit www.healthcarereform.ohio.gov.