Sellers Feinberg Advises Governors in MA, MI, IN on Covering the Uninsured
June 12, 2006, Philadelphia, PA ~ The announcement by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm of a major health care reform effort several weeks ago and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's historic health reform plan enacted in April each have one little-known element in common: Sellers Feinberg Associates, a Philadelphia-based health care consultancy. As the consultants to Governors Romney and Granholm, Sellers Feinberg, which was highlighted in The National Journal's June 9, 2006, cover story, has helped dramatically re-invigorate the national health care reform agenda.
"Massachusetts' reform agreement has opened the eyes of elected officials and health care leaders across the country as to what is possible," said Martin Sellers, President and CEO of Sellers Feinberg. "We have been fortunate to work, first in Massachusetts and now in Michigan with leaders who are committed to major systemic change. Previously the debate was about changing systems at the margins, since Massachusetts revealed its plan everybody wants to know if we can re-create this dramatic reform in their state or at a national level."
The enactment of Massachusetts' reform plan on April 12, 2006 was the culmination of two years of work for Sellers Feinberg, which specializes in consulting on Medicaid, publicly subsidized health insurance and other health policy issues for businesses and state governments. Originally invited into Massachusetts to work with the public hospital system, Governor Romney's team saw the value of Sellers Feinberg's counsel and sought agreement by the hospitals to allow them to work for him directly. The result was a historic deal that has sent shock waves through America's political and health care establishments.
"You cannot underestimate the effect this legislation has had on health care reform efforts across the country," said Kevin "Kip" Piper, author of The Piper Report and consultant to Sellers Feinberg. "Every elected official and health care advocate is investigating if a similar plan can be enacted in their state."
"Not only did Sellers Feinberg have a seat at the table while this deal was getting done, but they've shown their bi-partisan spirit in helping Gov. Granholm craft a plan that will dramatically expand coverage for Michigan's uninsured," continued Piper. "Their strategic ability, intimate knowledge of health care financing systems and out of the box approach have proven to be a valuable asset for elected officials contemplating reforming their states' health care needs."
In addition to its work in Massachusetts and Michigan, Sellers Feinberg recently began working with Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and his staff to develop a significant health reform effort to extend coverage to a significant portion of the state's uninsured population.
"As a senior official in the Bush Administration, former President of Eli Lilly's North American Operations, and now as governor, Mitch Daniels understands the true cost of a large uninsured population on a state's ability to compete economically," said Sellers Feinberg's Peggy Handrich. "He recognizes that making progress on this issue will have a substantial impact on employers, employees and, most importantly, families. Sellers Feinberg is able to supplement his in-house expertise and offer insight gained from our work on major health care reform with other governors."
Sellers Feinberg's success in helping state governments and large organizations solve their health financing problems is rooted in the company's comprehensive services that allow it to develop tailored plans which utilize each entity's individual strengths. With expertise in revenue maximization, Medicaid issues and large scale health care reform, Seller Feinberg increasingly finds itself being asked to help clients achieve transformational change.
"Through our work we've found that each state or organization has unique resources that may be already directed towards health care, but either the organization doesn't realize it or hasn't considered them as a potential vehicle for change. By identifying these opportunities and fitting them into a comprehensive reform plan, Sellers Feinberg is able to work with our partners to create solutions that address their most vexing health care financing issues," said Marty Sellers.
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