March 2015 Issue

On Our Impact

Roadmaps to Health Community Grants Program Reflects on Lessons Learned

Launched in 2011, Community Catalyst’s Roadmaps to Health Community Grants program has played a vital role in moving forward constructive initiatives to improve the health of communities around the nation by addressing the social determinants of health. This bold new direction for Community Catalyst took place as part of the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, a groundbreaking collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program was developed to identify problems and create solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy in their own communities.
On Point

Donor Profile: A Conversation with Dean Richlin, Partner, Foley Hoag

With more than 30 years of experience, including five years as the First Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dean Richlin is an accomplished attorney with an expertise in health care and health system regulation. As a partner at Foley Hoag, he has successfully represented Fortune 500 companies, as well leading companies and institutions in the fields of life sciences, health care and education. 
Spotlight Event

New Report on the Next Generation of Consumer Health Advocacy Released

Millions of Americans now have access to health coverage and care thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  However, a significant challenge remains: Our health system is notable for its excessive prices, variable quality, inefficiency, health inequities and lack of people-centeredness. At the same time, there’s a rapid transformation underway in our health care financing and delivery system that was accelerated by the ACA. There is growing awareness among consumer advocates that they must turn their attention to this next phase of health reform – “health system transformation” – to ensure the impact of these changes is positive for consumers. “The Path to a People-Centered Health System: Next Generation Consumer Health Advocacy” is a starting point for the next generation of consumer health advocacy that equips consumer advocates to take on the challenges and opportunities of transforming our health system. 

On the Hill

Sunshine Can Go a Long Way for Consumers with Hospital Bills, But More Work Lies Ahead

As the clock wound down on 2014, health care advocates had more to celebrate than the New Year. In the final days of December, the Treasury Department released final regulations on consumer protection requirements for non-profits hospitals. The rules are a long-awaited milestone in Affordable Care Act implementation and in Community Catalyst’s decade-long work to protect people from aggressive hospital billing and collection practices.
On our Minds

Community Catalyst Welcomes Anton Gunn to Board of Directors

Anton Gunn, Chief Diversity Officer of the Medical University of South Carolina Health Center, has joined Community Catalyst’s Board of Directors. Gunn previously worked as Director of External Affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 
O N   T H E   W I R E

Last week the health care justice community lost one of our visionaries and strongest leaders, Andy Hyman.

Jessica Curtis, a Senior Advisor to Community Catalyst, explains in The New York Times that new rules for non-profit hospitals will protect low-income people from price gouging and increase transparency about financial assistance available to patients.

In The Washington Post, Michael Miller, Policy Director, discussed the potential impact on consumers who would lose financial help paying for insurance if the Supreme Court strikes down tax credits for premiums in the King vs. Burwell case.

Robert Restuccia, Executive Director, cautioned the Obama administration to carefully assess new Medicaid waiver provisions approved in Indiana before allowing other states to implement similar measures in The New York Times.

Jessica Curtis told USA Today that high deductible health plans contribute to widespread issues of medical debt.

Join us in welcoming a new staff member and in congratulating staff members who have been promoted recently: Jack Cardinal joins us as a Communications Manager; Tera Bianchi is now a Senior State Advocacy Manager; Angela Jenkins is now the Value Advocacy Project Manager; and Emily Polak is now Associate Director of State Consumer Health Advocacy.

Stay up to date on developments in health care policy, Affordable Care Act implementation, and more. Sign up to receive Health Policy Hub blog posts in your inbox. 

Media Contact

Jack Cardinal
Deputy Director of Communications
617-275-2923 
jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org

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