5 Things California: Steve Wigginton, David Panush, Care4All

Next week we release our Detailed Agenda with a list of almost 70 speakers lined up for our annual event in Sacramento. Until then, however, we’ve highlighted a few interesting sessions you’ll see next week among the 5 Things We’re Watching this week in California health care and health policy.

1.  MediCal in 2018 and beyond

At our upcoming 2018 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference on April 26th, we’re honored to have a session on the future of MediCal with two of California’s most well respected agency leaders.  Jennifer Kent is the Director of the Dept. of Health Care Services.  She’s joined by Mari Cantwell, California State Medicaid Director.

During their session, the two will talk through what’s on MediCal’s horizon.  They’ll take your questions as well, which I expect will range from re-procurement to leading DHCS during a time of federal policy uncertainty. This will be a great panel and one I think will be well attended.

2.  Sutter Health | Aetna joint venture hires CEO

Steve Wigginton was announced as the new CEO of the Sutter Heath | Aetna joint venture, an initiative made public last June. Prior to this position, Wigginton was the CEO of Chicago-based firm Valence Health focused on providing value-based care solutions.

Aetna has four other joint ventures established in Arizona, Minnesota, Texas and Virginia. These partnerships with provider networks are part of Aetna’s goal to have 75 percent of contracts in value-based models by 2020.  Sutter Health | Aetna anticipate offering self-insured commercial products starting mid-2018 and fully insured PPO products staring in early 2019.

3.  Video: David Panush, California Health Policy Strategies

David Panush, President of California Health Policy Strategies, has 35 years of experience in state government working on policy, politics, and budget issues. He joins us in this edition of What They’re Watching to talk about inmate re-entry eligibility.

“The Affordable Care Act has really been a game changer in terms of how we deal with public safety… We’re seeing in the whole person care pilots, in a couple of counties, very explicit relationships that create that warm hand off so that when someone comes out of jail or prison they are able to immediately get into the programs that they are eligible for.”

4.  The Looming Disruption from New Technologies in Healthcare

Another highlight on our Topical Agenda next month is a panel on the interface of technology and the health care system.  While there has been a lot of talk about brands like Amazon entering the space, we’ve got a few brands that are already at work changing the way care is delivered and financed. Here are a few brands we’ve got teed up for you on April 26th.

Wildflower Health provides apps for the “Chief Medical Officer of the Home: Mom.” MedZed uses tele-medicine and a network of mobile CareProviders to make a “Housecall 2.0.”  Recovery Record provides treatment for eating disorders via mobile devices “built on a platform of decades of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.”

That’s a solid lineup, one we’ll have moderated by the inimitable Julia Bernstein of Beacon Health Options.

5.  Care4All pushing legislation package

Over 50 organizations have launched the Care4All California campaign, which aims to improve access to care. The group is supporting a multitude of legislation, some that is unlikely to pass this session. The list of complete legislative priorities can be seen here.

Bills that haven’t seen much progress this session include a bill that would increase the minimum medical loss ratio by 5 percent and another to allow all income-eligible adults regardless of immigration status to enroll in Medi-Cal.

Some of the bills that have seen movement include a bill to increase oversight on consolidation and mergers in the health industry. It passed out of the Assembly 54-22 and is now under consideration in the Senate. Senator Hernandez’s bill to prohibit short-term medical planspassed out of the Health Committee 7-0.