Public Health Heroes Awards Ceremony

Pacific Business Group on Health for its important contributions in creating innovative solutions for the pressing health care issues facing purchasers today.

The Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), founded in 1989, is one of the nation's top business coalitions dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of health care while moderating costs. A respected voice in state and national health care dialogues, PBGH works collaboratively with leading health plans, provider organizations, researchers, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to promote marketplace solutions for the pressing health care issues facing purchasers today. Results-oriented and member-driven, PBGH encourages value-based purchasing, measurement of quality and improvement, and engagement of consumers.

Both large and small employers benefit from PBGH's leveraged buying power and efforts to report comparative performance information across health plans, physician groups, and hospitals. Altogether, PBGH's 50 large purchaser members provide health care coverage to more than 3 million employees, retirees, and dependents. PBGH also oversees Pacific Health Advantage, a small business purchasing group, which includes more than 12,000 of California's small businesses with 2 to 50 employees.

AWARD PRESENTERThomas J. Davies

Thomas J. Davies, J.D., M.P.A., leads Verizon's quality-driven "value purchasing" strategy for providing health benefits to more than 50,000 employees, retirees, and dependents in 17 western states. Additionally, Davies is the chairman of the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) and serves as steering committee chair for IHA’s Pay for Performance Project, which is the nation's most far-reaching effort to demonstrate the business case for quality health care through substantial performance-based payment incentives for physician groups by California's HMOs. Davies serves on the boards of directors for both Pacific Business Group on Health and PAC Advantage; the Financial Solvency Standards Board of the California Department of Managed Health Care; the Purchasers Advisory Committee of the National Committee on Quality Assurance; and the Health Policy Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce.

THE CHALLENGESafeguarding Women's Reproductive Health

The United States boasts the highest standard of living of any nation in the world, yet the country ranks poorly in its ability to care for the health of its people. In 2003, nearly 45 million people in the U.S. had no health care coverage through their jobs or government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Millions of others had inadequate coverage and postponed seeking needed medical care and medication because of high copayments and deductibles. By Institute of Medicine estimates, this situation is not just worrisome; it is tragic: 18,000 Americans die prematurely each year solely because they lack medical coverage.

At the same time, U.S. employers cite rising health care costs as a growing burden on their efforts to remain competitive in the global marketplace—especially for the 90 percent that are small businesses with less than 20 employees. With medical benefits recently surpassing paid leave as the most expensive employer-paid benefit, employers are forced to reduce benefits, subsequently leaving more than one third of employees in firms with less than 10 employees and 27 percent of employees in firms with between 10 and 24 employees uninsured.

THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONDS

The School's Center for Health and Public Policy Studies provides data and convenes experts to support public policies that will result in an affordable, high quality health care system. To this end, the center publishes an annual report for the state legislature on the state of health insurance in California, providing comprehensive information on the uninsured, HMOs and health insurance, employer-sponsored benefits, and health insurance purchasing groups. The center has researched the cost effectiveness of insurance coverage of smoking cessation treatments. Its other research activities include a survey of Medi-Cal managed care plans in California; dissemination of information on political candidates' health care positions; and hosting of educational health policy roundtables for legislators, legislative staff, and key stakeholders.

Also housed at the School, the Center for Health Research serves as a campuswide forum for bringing together social scientists and other investigators to address the challenging issues facing America’s health sector. The center’s more than 60 faculty researchers represent many of the social sciences—economics, demography, political science, public health, business, psychology, social welfare, and sociology—and study the impact of markets, organizations, and professions as they influence issues of cost, access, quality, and outcomes of care.

In addition, the School is actively training the next generation of problem solvers through its Health Policy & Management and Health Services & Policy Analysis degree programs. Via the School's Health Policy and Training programs, students interested in multidisciplinary approaches to research, service, and mental health finance and delivery benefit from mentoring opportunities.


2005 Organizational Hero - Pacific Business Group On Health		Related Links PBGH Web Site Member Organizations
Pacific Business Group on Health for its important contributions in creating innovative solutions for the pressing health care issues facing purchasers today. The Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), founded in 1989, is one of the nation's top business coalitions dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of health care while moderating costs. A respected voice in state and national health care dialogues, PBGH works collaboratively with leading health plans, provider organizations, researchers, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to promote marketplace solutions for the pressing health care issues facing purchasers today. Results-oriented and member-driven, PBGH encourages value-based purchasing, measurement of quality and improvement, and engagement of consumers. Both large and small employers benefit from PBGH's leveraged buying power and efforts to report comparative performance information across health plans, physician groups, and hospitals. Altogether, PBGH's 50 large purchaser members provide health care coverage to more than 3 million employees, retirees, and dependents. PBGH also oversees Pacific Health Advantage, a small business purchasing group, which includes more than 12,000 of California's small businesses with 2 to 50 employees. AWARD PRESENTERThomas J. Davies Thomas J. Davies, J.D., M.P.A., leads Verizon's quality-driven "value purchasing" strategy for providing health benefits to more than 50,000 employees, retirees, and dependents in 17 western states. Additionally, Davies is the chairman of the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) and serves as steering committee chair for IHA’s Pay for Performance Project, which is the nation's most far-reaching effort to demonstrate the business case for quality health care through substantial performance-based payment incentives for physician groups by California's HMOs. Davies serves on the boards of directors for both Pacific Business Group on Health and PAC Advantage; the Financial Solvency Standards Board of the California Department of Managed Health Care; the Purchasers Advisory Committee of the National Committee on Quality Assurance; and the Health Policy Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce. THE CHALLENGESafeguarding Women's Reproductive Health The United States boasts the highest standard of living of any nation in the world, yet the country ranks poorly in its ability to care for the health of its people. In 2003, nearly 45 million people in the U.S. had no health care coverage through their jobs or government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Millions of others had inadequate coverage and postponed seeking needed medical care and medication because of high copayments and deductibles. By Institute of Medicine estimates, this situation is not just worrisome; it is tragic: 18,000 Americans die prematurely each year solely because they lack medical coverage. At the same time, U.S. employers cite rising health care costs as a growing burden on their efforts to remain competitive in the global marketplace—especially for the 90 percent that are small businesses with less than 20 employees. With medical benefits recently surpassing paid leave as the most expensive employer-paid benefit, employers are forced to reduce benefits, subsequently leaving more than one third of employees in firms with less than 10 employees and 27 percent of employees in firms with between 10 and 24 employees uninsured. THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONDS The School's Center for Health and Public Policy Studies provides data and convenes experts to support public policies that will result in an affordable, high quality health care system. To this end, the center publishes an annual report for the state legislature on the state of health insurance in California, providing comprehensive information on the uninsured, HMOs and health insurance, employer-sponsored benefits, and health insurance purchasing groups. The center has researched the cost effectiveness of insurance coverage of smoking cessation treatments. Its other research activities include a survey of Medi-Cal managed care plans in California; dissemination of information on political candidates' health care positions; and hosting of educational health policy roundtables for legislators, legislative staff, and key stakeholders. Also housed at the School, the Center for Health Research serves as a campuswide forum for bringing together social scientists and other investigators to address the challenging issues facing America’s health sector. The center’s more than 60 faculty researchers represent many of the social sciences—economics, demography, political science, public health, business, psychology, social welfare, and sociology—and study the impact of markets, organizations, and professions as they influence issues of cost, access, quality, and outcomes of care. In addition, the School is actively training the next generation of problem solvers through its Health Policy & Management and Health Services & Policy Analysis degree programs. Via the School's Health Policy and Training programs, students interested in multidisciplinary approaches to research, service, and mental health finance and delivery benefit from mentoring opportunities.