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Health Care.
LABI encourages a cost-effective, competitive health care market as an incentive to economic growth, while assuring that consumers in Louisiana continue to receive high-quality, accessible and affordable health care.
LABI opposes the adoption of a single-payer, government-run health care system and takes an active role in public policy that would affect health care costs and outcomes, an employer’s right to contract, or an employer’s flexibility to determine and provide employee benefits.
Recognizing the importance of the health care industry to Louisiana’s economic development, LABI supports creative iniatives to grow a qualified allied health workforce and strong in-state capacity for medical research.
Current Issues.
Health Care Delivery: Support the continued development of sustainable approaches to health care delivery and financing that:
• Acknowledges individual responsibility to improve health status;
• Actively manages care to be efficient, affordable, high quality, and accessible – the right care, at the right price, in the right setting, without adversely affecting the private health insurance market;
• Is based on accurate information and data that are electronically accessible, including systems to enable consumer comparison of health care cost and quality information;
• Allows employers and their agents, as well as government bodies, to negotiate contracts for lower-cost plans that reward quality and improved health;
• Promotes a value-based model of health care delivery that rewards performance (quality, cost, access), including managed care programs and other measures that enhance quality and contain health care costs;
• Reduces the rate of increases in health care costs without cost shifting or price controls;
• Do not shift payment responsibility from the state to employers or providers; and
• Focuses on well-being and improvements in health status; provides for employee education, health and wellness promotion; and encourages appropriate public and private wellness programs to prevent, reduce, and manage chronic diseases which lead to substantial direct and indirect costs including increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions and readmissions.
Managed Care: Support the continued development of cost-effective managed care that assures quality and access to appropriate medical services. Support efforts to allow for contracting for lower cost plans and oppose attempts to exclusively contract for services when appropriate. Oppose regulatory efforts to impose unnecessary restrictions on utilization review. Oppose attempts to circumvent appropriate managed care cost containment strategies or controls.
Alleviate Shortages: Support efforts to alleviate shortages of primary care physicians, nurses and other allied health care professionals as appropriate through, but not limited to, scholarships, increase graduate medical education, training and continuing education. Support and urge the legislature to reduce the regulatory burden and prioritize investments, including the annual funding of dedicated funds, which are designed to meet the current and growing demands for nursing and allied health professionals.
Premium Tax Credit: Support efforts to preserve premium tax credits for insurers investing in qualified Louisiana investments and assessments paid to the guaranty associations.
Provider Taxes or Premium Taxes: Support legislative efforts to reduce local taxation on providers and health care plans. Oppose taxes, fees or assessments on health plans or health care providers that do not directly increase funding to the health plan or provider industry and therefore may increase the cost of employer-sponsored health care benefits. Support efforts to design protected fees or taxes that will enhance Medicaid funding to the industry group thereby reducing cost-shifting to consumers and employers.
Regulation of Private Organizations: Oppose burdensome regulation of private health care organizations that are not necessary to protect consumers and that increase administrative costs ultimately borne by patients and health plan members. Monitor the state’s efforts to implement changes required by federal law and oppose efforts that make those requirements more costly or burdensome on businesses. Oppose governmentally mandated price controls for private sector medical products, health care provider services, and health insurance, including interventions such as price setting. Oppose state imposition of restrictive licensing, regulations, or similar requirements that raise the cost of care. Oppose legislation or rulemaking that imposes burdensome bureaucratic regulations with no cost savings to employers, consumers or the state.
Professional & Civil Liability: Support efforts to promote the affordability and availability of professional liability insurance for health care providers that is reasonably balanced with the adequacy of recovery by patients injured due to negligence. Support mediation as an alternative to legal action to resolve disputes. Support and protect the Medical Malpractice Act, and oppose judicial and legislative attempts to weaken the Act or raise its cap. Oppose legislation that would create civil liability for employers and their health plans.
Technology and Innovation: Support and encourage the use of technology and innovation to deliver effective health care services.
Cost Shifting: Oppose changes to state health care programs that would shift payment responsibility from the state to employers, providers or insurers.
Fraud: Encourage and support efforts to hold providers and employees accountable for the misappropriation of funds by using fraudulent practices in their provision of services.
Immunizations: Oppose legislation that seeks to eliminate, alter or undermine the annual administration of vaccines requires for all students entering elementary school in accordance with the Louisiana Department of Health’s approved schedule. Oppose legislation that prohibits employers from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment.
Ongoing Policy.
Mandated Benefits: Oppose new or expanded governmentally mandated benefits under employer health plans, unless it is demonstrated to employers through an objective, actuarial study to be a cost-effective mandate. Oppose new or expanded governmentally mandated payments by health plans for the benefit of a limited population or specific providers, unless it is demonstrated to employers through an objective, actuarial study to be a cost-effective mandate. Support state legislation that minimizes any adverse impact of federal health care mandates. Support legislation to provide employers with a tax credit for every mandated health care benefit they are required to provide.
Public/Private Partnerships: Support public/private partnerships in lieu of higher state taxes to restructure and improve the indigent health care system in Louisiana. Support meaningful restructuring of Louisiana’s health care delivery system, stressing solutions that provide efficiency while providing quality care, improved health care outcomes and appropriate funding to limit cost shifting. Support the use of existing public funds to empower the uninsured to access private insurance coverage.
Health Care Anti-Competitive Activity: Oppose legislation that would increase employer health care costs by allowing any health care organization to participate in any anti-competitive activity.
Indigent Care Funding: Support the concept of allowing dollars to follow the patients.
Employer Incentives: Support efforts to provide incentives for employers to offer affordable health care benefits.
Alternatives in Health Care: Support a cost-effective alternative to health care delivery which provides better access to care with an emphasis on primary and preventative care.
Contacts.
Patrick Robinson serves as Health Care Council Director. In this capacity, his responsibilities include health care insurance matters that impact employer costs.
Patrick Robinson
Director, Health Care Council | LABI
patrickr@labi.org
Beverly Moore Haydel
Chair, Health Care Council
Sequitur Consulting
Beverly.Haydel@sequiturla.com
