Health insurance costs are often viewed as a snarling pit bull barely tethered to the front porch, ready to attack the most innocent of small businesses and individuals. Health care is expensive. It's important and small business, and individuals have to do everything they can to control the costs before it controls their bottom line.
Join the Chamber for the first ever Issues Forum with Secretary of Health and Human Services, JudyAnn Bigby, MD, Ken Farbstein Founder and President of AdvoCare, and Joshua Archambault, Director of Health-Care Policy for Pioneer for a panel discussion focusing on specific strategies that small businesses and consumers can take to reduce their health care costs. "The Cost of healthcare is the number-one issue in the minds of business people today, but there are things businesses and individuals can do to help. This program will show them how to save money now." Tom O'Rourke, President & CEO of the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce.
About our Speakers
Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, overseas 17 state agencies and serves in the Cabinet of Governor Deval Patrick. Her broad range of experience — as a primary-care physician, professor, researcher and health policy expert — gives her unique insights into how the state can best serve the people of the Commonwealth. One of Secretary Bigby’s top priority is ensuring the state deliver high-quality and accessible services to Massachusetts residents. Some of the program areas she oversees include health care, including the state’s Medicaid program; child welfare; public health; disabilities; veteran's affairs; and elder affairs. Since her appointment, Secretary Bigby has successfully implemented many aspects of Massachusetts’ highly successful health care reform law. The state has adopted its first Olmstead Plan to address the long-term needs of elders and persons with disabilities in community settings, and she championed the creation of the Office of the Child Advocate to improve the state’s child welfare system. Until her appointment, Dr. Bigby was the Medical Director of Community Health Programs at Brigham & Women's Hospital. She was also Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the school’s Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. Ken Farbstein is founder and President of Patient AdvoCare. He collaborates with a large national network of skilled advocates. Ken co-led a redesign project at the multi-hospital CareGroup system wining the $25,000 first annual Premier Award for Hospital Medication Safety. He has over 20 years experience in health care. He has advised clinical and administrative leaders in hospitals, medical groups, health maintenance organizations, and Massachusetts state government on ways to improve medication safety and reduce costs through rapid cycle techniques.
Joshua Archambault is The Pioneer Institute’s Director of Health-Care Policy & Program Manager for the Middle Cities Initiative. Prior to joining Pioneer, Josh was selected as a Health Policy Fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. His research centered on the treatment of small businesses in the implementation of health reform in Massachusetts, and proposed alternative paths for other states to pursue. Past research has focused on delivery system reforms in Massachusetts as a cost-containment measure from increasing health care spending. Marie Chalmers is a Principal at Mercer in the Health & Benefits group in Boston, MA. Marie is also a member of the US Health Care Reform Task Force responsible for educating clients and colleagues on the impact of this new legislation. She will be covering the Federal reform side of the health cost equation on our panel. She maintains senior-level relationships with all the major carriers and works in negotiating with those carriers on behalf of Mercer's clients. Marie’s clients are in the financial services, manufacturing, high-tech and higher-education industries.