PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) —The Wolf Administration Friday announced a health reform plan to help make care affordable and accessible to all Pennsylvanians.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said the plan has three parts: The formation of an Interagency Health Reform Council that will "find and capitalize on efficiencies in our healthcare system," Regional Accountable Health Councils that will create regional plans, and a Health Value Commission that will "keep payers and providers accountable for healthcare cost growth and establish long-term affordability and sustainability for our healthcare system."
He said he can follow through with the first two parts of the plan through executive order, but will need the legislature's assistance to implement the third part, which asks for transparency in the billing system.
Dr. Doug Jacobs, chief innovation officer at the Department of Human Services, also said part of the governor's goal is transparency in healthcare so that incidents like Hahnemann Hospital being bought by a public equity firm and being run into the ground can't happen in the dark.
"So the Wolf administration is proposing that the Health Value Commission undertake public interest reviews of these large provider mergers, acquisitions and changes in ownership so that communities know the effects of these changes before they happen."
