Health Care

The Platform for Progress Health Care Coalition seeks to create a health care system for New Jersey that is accessible, accountable and affordable. Health care is the single largest driver of business costs today. Its lack of affordability for both employers and employees has resulted in roughly half of the state's uninsured being full time workers. We hope to remedy this by providing more low cost coverage options, lowering health care costs through quality measures and technology improvements, and increasing accessibility by encouraging the training of more health care workers.

Download healthcare action plan (PDF)

Long Term Goal: Improve New Jersey’s health care system to ensure that it is accessible, accountable, and affordable.

Action Plan

Action Item 1: Reform health care coverage for small businesses and individuals.

Implementation Steps:

• New Jersey faces a transformational opportunity in the health care arena. The status quo is unacceptable. Compare the major leading reform initiatives, identify which would be best for the employer community, and actively advocate for its passage.
  
• Additional financial resources must be provided to promote healthy behavior and increased attention to preventive care amongst all employees and their family members. Research existing trends and models that provide financial incentives to providers for wellness and preventive care services.
  
• A greater awareness of how preventive care positively impacts cost drivers is needed. Identify data that shows the value of societal solutions and personal responsibility in the prevention area. Provide this data to employers and employees as a way to increase knowledge of the importance of healthy life choices.
  
• Research and advocate for risk based premium plans as a possible choice for employers who provide health insurance for their employees and actively promote wellness and employee healthy initiatives in their plans.
  
• Advocate for changes to address the structural problem in the individual health insurance market using recent studies ( Rutgers) that suggest moving to a 5:1 ratio.
  
• Investigate the possibility of providing a basic benefits package.
  
• Continue to oppose legislative initiatives that mandate health benefits and drive up costs.
  
• Advocate for changes in the Charity Care funding formula (base year, etc).

Action Item 2: Advocate for and publicize quality measurements and healthy lifestyle options.

Implementation Steps:

• Partner with the Mayors Wellness Campaign and How’s Your Health New Jersey to increase employer awareness of and participation in these programs.
  
• Align our activities, where applicable, with the Federal Health and Human Services cornerstones of value-based healthcare, especially where they impact quality standards, and incentives.
  
• Advocate for greater transparency in the areas of price and quality (outcomes). Encourage additional clinical data reporting and outcome reporting.
  
• With the limitation of data available to consumers, steps need to be taken to identify and publicize consumer tools. This should help foster “apples to apples” comparisons for diagnostic testing and other health services.

Action Item 3: Work to advocate for more health care workers.

Implementation Steps:

• Poor reimbursement rates from the federal and state government in the fee for service program have resulted in a physician shortage in certain areas of the state. Work with various groups to identify the causes and possible solutions to this problem.
  
• Continue to partner with the Nurses Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to advocate for more nurses.
  
• Identify other areas where medical staff shortages have a negative impact on the delivery of health care services.

Action Item 4: Identify options and incentives for technology upgrades.

Implementation Steps:

• Continue to partner with CureMD and the Health Care Quality Institute to develop a pilot Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) program for physicians.
  
• Continue to partner with the Hospital Association on creation of a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO).