Hospital Prices: Are we at the tipping point?

At a time when the movement for accountability and rationality in hospital pricing behavior is at a critical juncture, we are delighted to host Hospital Prices: Are we at the tipping point?. Congress, state legislators, and the media have increased their focus on hospital pricing and business practices. Purchasers are taking steps to engage more proactively with hospitals and lower their healthcare costs.

Significant to this conversation is determining ways to protect and support safety-net hospitals and the healthcare workforce while creating a fairer hospital pricing system for the employers, unions, and individuals who bear the brunt of rising healthcare costs. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with others who are passionate about addressing high hospitals prices within their spheres of influence. Employers and unions will walk away with tools they can use to support their goal to reduce their healthcare spending without sacrificing the quality and affordability of the benefits they provide.

8:00 AM	Breakfast & Registration
9:00 AM	Welcome & Introduction by Manny Pastreich, Trustee, 32BJ Labor Industry Cooperation Fund
9:20 AM	Keynote Remarks by Elisabeth Rosenthal, Senior Contributing Editor, KFF Health News Increasing hospital prices are the leading cause of rapidly rising healthcare costs in the US, and most working Americans receive their health benefits through their jobs, which means there is a direct correlation between high hospital prices and patients’ pocketbooks. Why do we pay more and more for healthcare without receiving improved benefits, access, or outcomes? How do we fix our broken healthcare system?
10:00 AM	Networking Break
10:30 AM	*Morning Panel - It’s Some* of the Prices, Stupid Our current hospital pricing system is not working for safety-net hospitals, patients, or purchasers. The problem is complex, and a one-size-fits-all solution to lower hospital prices and increase accountability is not the answer. In fact, the differences between business models for “have” and “have not” hospitals, particularly safety-net hospitals that serve poorer communities, are numerous and substantial. How do we tease apart these differences to make smarter policy and purchasing decisions? What would it mean to create a fairer system of hospital pricing for safety-net hospitals, patients, and purchasers? Misha Sharp, Assistant Director of Policy, 32BJ Health Fund (Moderator) Ramon Rodriguez, President & CEO at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Elisabeth R. Benjamin, Vice President of Health Initiatives, Community Service Society of NY Liz Krueger**, Chair, New York State Senate Finance Committee
12:00 PM	Networking Lunch
1:00 PM	Afternoon Panel - The Case for Change: The Risks and Rewards of Rethinking Healthcare Purchasing The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) established new protections for patients while also increasing transparency within healthcare, requiring third-party plan administrators to be more transparent with their plan sponsors about the prices they pay providers and hospitals. As the regulatory landscape continues to change, more purchasers are realizing the unique opportunities available and rethinking how and what they pay for healthcare. Stacey Richter, Host, Relentless Health Value Podcast (Moderator) Cora Opsahl, Director, 32BJ Health Fund Lauren Vela, Passionate Health Care Reform Leader \| Advocate for Employers' Role in Better Health Care \| Strategic Advisor & Consultant Lee Lewis, Chief Strategy Officer & GM Medical Solutions, Health Transformation Alliance
3:00 PM	Sessions Conclude

Please note this is not the final agenda and is subject to change.

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