In a top-of-meeting activity that E.D. Mimi McDonell has created and that may become standard for all committee meetings, the Committee saw a few bullet points about what each of the other committees was doing.  

This five-hour meeting (including a lunch break) consisted of announcements, review, strategic planning and a visit from former Governor John Kitzhaber.

The committee received Kim Yee’s Euler diagram of relationships between the work of the committee and the consultants Milliman and ECONorthwest.  While Milliman is serving four of the UHP Committees, ECONw is working only for F&R, this committee.  It was possible (for the first time) for committee members to have significant input into what the scope of a consultant’s work would be.

Eligibility:  The Committee discussed how to change its straw proposal.  Many points were raised about tough cases, including minors, children, incarcerated individuals, out of state workers, travelers, overseas travelers, nonresident students, students going out of state, retirees going out of state, university students’ insurance, seasonal workers who work in more than one state.  Result:  needs more discussion and work.

Behavioral Health: straw proposal was tweaked to meet GBs comments.

Long-Term Care (LTSS): Helen will recruit for the subcommittee that was approved by the GB.

Provider reimbursement – there was a report from consultants and discussion.

• Proposal to structure the UHP as a public corporation was accepted by the Board March 20.

• Committee approved developing a proposal to hold funds for the UHP in a “hybrid captive and exempt” fund in the Oregon State Treasury.  The treasury would handle banking and investment for the UHP, utilizing some but not all features of the state system, similar to what SAIF and others do now.  No significant discussion or changes to the staff report.

The main business was a presentation on Healthcare Administrative Costs by Don Osborne from Vancouver Coastal Health in British Columbia.  Vancouver Coastal Health handles a budget of $6.2 Bn Canadian [sc: about 10-15% of the projected budget for universal health care in Oregon] and has numerous interesting differences from our envisioned system.  Its goal is to keep admin/support costs under 10% of that budget.

The new Executive Director for the Universal Health Care Plan will be Dr. Miriam McDowell, whose former employment was wide-ranging including PacificSource Health Plans.  

* Mary Lou Hennrich has joined the Board in the position formerly held by Warren George.

Bad news: The Governing Board’s two top staffers below the E.D. (Jenny and Katy) are both leaving for other jobs–as learned within the last two days..  Because the staff is decimated, the Board and most of its committees will take a month’s “pause” in their work, resuming a month later.

The first part of the meeting was a presentation by Chunhuei Chi on basic frameworks, terminology, and equity issues in taxation for health care financing (same presentation given to GB on Feb. 20).  

• Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS).  Currently Medicaid provides better benefits for LTSS than PEBB does.  The Board favors an approach for the new Universal Health Care that will retain these benefits for those who would be eligible for Medicaid, including meeting tests for very low levels of income and assets.  Private insurance coverage for LTC could continue.  Additionally, the Committee will recommend that some kind of new Task Force be set up independent of this PD&E Committee to explore additional option(s).