Americas Agenda Healthcare Education Fund

TO UNDERTAKE POLICY DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP TRAINING, RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS WITH REGARD TO PUBLIC POLICY TO ACHIEVE AFFORDABLE HIGH QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS.

PART III PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:OVER THE COURSE OF 2021, THE AMERICA'S AGENDA HEALTHCARE EDUCATION FUND (AAHEF OR THE FUND)ADVANCED OUR MISSION OF MAKING ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY HEALTH CARE AFFORDABLE TO ALL AMERICANS BY FOCUSING OUR EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES PRINCIPALLY IN THE FOLLOWING THREE PROGRAM AREAS:1. REDESIGN OF PUBLIC SECTOR HEALTHCARE DELIVERY DURING 2021, AAHEF CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO PUBLIC SECTOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO OUR CORE MISSION AT BOTH THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVELS. FOR EXAMPLE, AAHEF WAS ENGAGED IN SUPPORTING SERVICE OF OUR CHIEF ECONOMIST AS A EPARTMENT OF LABOR SECRETARY MARTY WALSH APPOINTEE TO TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATIONS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STATE ALLPAYER CLAIMS DATABASES ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAPCDAC). AAHEF ENGAGEMENT IN THEDELIBERATIONS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE THROUGH OUR CHIEF ECONOMIST CONTRIBUTED TO SHAPING OF GUIDANCE IN THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES FINAL REPORT REGARDING FORMATS AND STANDARDS ON REPORTING OF MEDICAL CLAIMS, PHARMACY CLAIMS, DENTAL CLAIMS, AND ELIGIBILITY AND PROVIDER FILES COLLECTED FROM PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PAYERS. THIS STANDARDIZATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR OUR NATION TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF ATRULY COORDINATED HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM.THROUGH APPOINTMENT OF THE AAHEF MANAGING DIRECTOR BY NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHY TO SERVE AS MEMBER THE NEW JERSEY TASK FORCE ON STATE HEALTH BENEFITS QUALITY AND VALUE.TASK FORCE AAHEF ENGAGED EXTENSIVELY OVER THE COURSE OF TWO YEARS IN RESHAPING THE STATES HEALTH CARE BENEFIT DESIGN AND CARE DELIVERY STRATEGY FOR ITS STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE. THE THE TASK FORCE FINAL REPORT RELEASED IN 2021 PRESENTS INTERMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES, SHAPED SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGH AAHEF ENGAGEMENT, TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR 750,000 NEW JERSEY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, DEPENDENTS, AND RETIREES AND BETTER MANAGE THE COSTS OF THEIR CARE OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT DECADE. IN ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE, GOVERNOR MURPHY SAID, NOW MORE THAN EVER, THIS WORK IS CRITICAL TO THE WELL-BEING OF OUR PUBLIC MEMBERS AS WELL AS THE FINANCIAL WELL-BEING OF OUR STATE AS WE LOOKTOWARD ECONOMIC RECOVERY POST PANDEMIC.2. PUBLIC POICY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTED AT REDUCING COST OF PRESCRIPTIOIN MEDICINES: OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS, AAHEF HAS PLACED PRIORITY ON DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC POLICY WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, THE FASTEST GROWING COMPONENT OF OVERALL HEALTH CARE SPENDING. ONE PRODUCT OF THIS WORK HAS BEEN DEVELOPMENT OF STATE POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS FOR CREATING DYNAMICALLY COMPETITIVEMARKETPLACES FOR PRESCRIPTION BENEFIT MANAGER COMPETITION THAT CAN REDUCE COSTS OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES AND CAPTURE SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS TO STATE EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN PURCHASERS OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. THE STATE POLICY PRESRIPTION WAS BETA-TESTED SUCCESSFULLY WITH NEW JERSEYS IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AAHEF-DESIGNED STRATEGY IN TWO SUCCESSIVE PBM REVERSE AUCTIONS CONDUCTED IN 2017 AND 2019; THAT ARE PROJECTED TO CAPTURE $2.52 BILLION DOLLARS IN PRESCRIPTION SAVINGS FOR THE STATE OVER THE 5-YEARPERIOD OF 2017-2022 . OVER THE COURSE OF 2020 AND 2021, AAHEF CONTINUED REFINEMENT OF OUR INITIAL STRATEGY TO DEEPEN SAVINGS VALUE TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR PURCHASERS OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES. THESE REFINEMENTS HAVE FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING EMERGENCE OF SPECIALTY MEDICINES AS MAJOR DRIVERS OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICE INFLATION AND OPTIMIZING USE OF NEW PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING METIRICS AS TOOLSTO REDUCE OVERALL PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS. AAHEF CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE IN RESEARCH OVER THE COURSE OF 2021 AND CONTRIBUTED TO ONLINE PUBLICATION OF A GROUNDBREAKING STUDY OF THE EVOLVING BUSINESS MODEL AND REVENUES OF PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS.3. PUBLIC EDUCATION: DURING 2021, THE AAHEFS LABOR & EMPLOYER HEALTHCARE TRANSFORATION PROJECT (LEHTP), DEVELOPED EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ABOUT THE AAHEF-DEVELOPED POLICY SOLUTIONS AND DISSEMINATED INFORMATION ABOUT THEM THEM THROUGH VARIOUS MEDIA, PRINT, BROADCAST, AND ONLINE. OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION WORK WAS CARRIED OUT OVER 2021 THROUGH VARIAS MEDIA AND FORUMS. THESE INCLUDED 2 SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING WITH LINKS TO OUR WEBSITE FOR DEEPER EDUCATIONAL DIVES FOR ONLINE READERS. THE AAHEF MANAGING DIRECTOR WAS INTERVIEWED BY SEVERAL DOZEN TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS IN STATES ACROSS THE THE COUNTRY CONCERNING THE REASONS FOR PRESCRIOPTION DRUG HYPERINFLATION AND POLICY SOLUTIONS THAT CAN MAKE PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES SUSTAINABLY AFFORDABLE FOR ALL AMERICANS. AAHEF PRESENTED POLICY BRIEFINGS ON A NON-PARTISAN BASIS TO SENIOR MEMBERS OF STATE GOVERNORS STAFFS, STATE LEGISLATORS AND THEIR STAFFS, AND A VARIETY OF STATE STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS IN COLORADO, LOUISIANA, MINNESOTA, AND OHIO, AMONG OTHER STATES.LEHTP EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND MESSAGING FOCUS ON COMMON-SENSE PRINCIPALS FRAMED NONIDEOLOGICALLY AS COMMON-GROUND, BIPARTISAN POLICY SOLUTIONS. DURING 2021, AAHEF PLACED PRIORITY ON DEVELOPING BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PUBLIC SECTOR STRATEGY AIMED AT CREATING DYNAMICALLY COMPETITIVE PBM MARKETPLACES THAT WILL DRIVE SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS TO SELF-FUNDED STATE HEALTH PLANS AND THEIR BENEFICIARIES -- AND ULTIMATELY, TO TAXPAYERS -- WITHOUT REQUIRING CUTS IN PRESCRIPTION BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. THE EFFECTIVE OF THIS AAHEF PUBLIC EDUCATION ACTIVITIES IS REFLECTED IN PART BY INCORPORATION OF INNOVATIVE AAHEF POLICY SOLUTIONS FOR REDUCING COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN STATE LEGISLATION THAT WAS PROPOSED AND DEBATED DURING 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS IN, COLORADO, LOUISIANA, MINNESOTA, AND OHIO.