From October 9-11, 2013 the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) held its 26th Annual State Health Policy Conference in Seattle, WA. Representatives from states, as well as state health policy experts, presented on and discussed topics ranging from Medicaid expansion to long term care services in light of health care reform. Materials from the conference can be found here: http://www.nashpconference.org/.
Highlights include:
- Opening plenary speaker Susan Dentzer, a senior advisor to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, presented on how the Affordable Care Act has to date and continues to address the triple aims of better health, better health care, and lower health costs.
- Presentations from the Washington Healthplanfinder’s (Washington State’s exchange) CEO, the state’s insurance commission, and a large local public health agency shared details about the exchange’s overall vision and operations as well as details about to network adequacy and consumer assistance.
- Liz Baxter, chair of Cover Oregon’s board, presented during a lunch plenary about how to create policies rooted in community priorities. She shared successful strategies for increasing community understanding of health reform, helping communities identify their priorities for change, and translating these priorities into policy.
In addition, one session showcased state-oriented health services research from AcademyHealth’s 2013 Annual Research Meeting. Presentations focused on predicting the health status and unmet health needs of the newly covered populations. To learn more about that session, please see this recent AcademyHealth blog.
