The Council on Foundations has given its most prestigious award for public policy to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation for its Roadmap to Coverage project.
What began as a Foundation-sponsored project to restart and shape the public debate in Massachusetts, the Roadmap to Coverage has kindled a national discussion about universal coverage. Since the passage of the Commonwealth’s health care reform law last spring, momentum is spreading through many State Houses and in the U.S. Capitol as leaders tackle this long-standing, vexing public policy issue. Even U.S. presidential campaigns are issuing plans to solve this problem, once thought to be too intractable on which to find common ground.
“This award recognizes not only the importance of the work of the Foundation through its efforts to support a dialogue on health reform, but is also a reflection of what the entire Massachusetts health care community has achieved through passage of the Massachusetts health reform law,” said Nancy Turnbull, President of the Foundation.
We agree. The Foundation, first under Andrew Dreyfuss’ leadership and then under Nancy Turnbull’s, has set a terrific model for how a Foundation can create a positive and dynamic influence on public policy. Nancy is leaving her position soon. We hope her successor can continue this great success.
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As Paul says, much of the RoadMap project was “rigorous analytical work that debunked informal and uninformed comments”.
In the interest of rigourous understanding of the RoadMap process and the ensuing reform plan that we now have as law in MA, readers have a right to know when I asked Mr. Houlihan of the Urban Inst. (who did the project for BCBS Foundation) at one of JFK Library Forums:
“Why wasn’t a model using streamlined financing, often called “single payer”, not included nor analyzed as one of the RoadMap project options for financing reform?”
To which Mr. Houlihan replied to the effect of:
“Because the BCBS Foundation did not want to have that option included.”
Let us hope that streamlined single payer fianancing, a viable financing option used quite successfully around the world, will receive its overdue rigorous analysis and the opportunity to “debunk informal and uninformed comments” under Governor Patrick’s leadership. This is surely needed as we struggle together, as a state community, with the ramifications of the Chap. 58 law and with the reality of our >$1Billion state budget deficit.
To learn more please visit http://www.MassCare.org/legislation and http://www.DefendHealth.org Thank you.
Absolutely agree. The Roadmap did indeed create the roadmap, an unusual case of a foundation producing a process and a document that led to a major public policy initiative. It was based on rigorous analytical work that debunked informal and uninformed comments about the nature of the health care system in MA, and made it possible for everyone to say, “There may actually be a solution that could work in the state.” Wihtout that, all the interest groups and stakeholders could not have coalesced.