SFCG Consensus Building Process
on Health Care Coverage for the
Uninsured Successfully Concluded

January 2007

On January 18th an unprecedented alliance of health care leaders announced a historic agreement to help reduce the number of uninsured in the U.S. The proposal would significantly expand health coverage for America's almost 47 million uninsured, starting immediately with coverage for children in 2007.

The agreement is the result of a two-and-a-half year process of consensus building among major health care organizations. The process was organized by SFCG and its U.S. Consensus Council -- a diverse bipartisan leadership group that works to promote consensus-based approaches to national issues -- in partnership with the Meridian Institute.

The coalition of 16 diverse, influential national organizations from across the political spectrum transcended ideology and rose above their individual interests to achieve higher collective principles. "We are pleased and proud to have played a catalytic role in organizing this process and then managing it in partnership with our colleagues at the Meridian Institute. What particularly excites us is that the participants not only reached substantive agreements on covering the uninsured, but they have banded together to use their enormous collective influence to implement their recommendations-starting with coverage for virtually all currently uninsured children in the U.S. Reaching consensus can be a long and a difficult process, but this process works and it can work for other important issues facing our nation," said Robert Fersh, Executive Director, SFCG-USA and the U.S. Consensus Council.

In describing important features of the process in which they engaged, the participants said that:

• they took the time to better understand one another's points of view

• they built on what is already working in the health care system

• they recognized they had strongly shared interests

• they now speak with one voice and will stay together to implement their recommendations

In announcing their recommendations, the participants said that their proposals should serve as a catalyst for legislative action and they are asking members of Congress to take this proposal forward starting with America's children this year. Endorsing organizations include AARP, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Hospital Assoc., American Medical Assoc., American Public Health Assoc., America's Health Insurance Plans, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Assoc., Catholic Health Assoc., Families USA, Federation of American Hospitals, Healthcare Leadership Council, Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Pfizer Inc., United Health Foundation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Here are what some of the participants had to say about the process and their commitments for the future:

American Medical Association:
"The American Medical Association is committed to expanding health care coverage to the uninsured. As physicians, we see firsthand the devastating consequences of not having health care coverage: uninsured patients live sicker and die younger. It is imperative that all Americans get covered, and by working with this diverse coalition we are taking concrete steps to make it happen."
- Jeremy Lazarus, M.D., board member, American Medical Association

American Public Health Association:
"The growing crisis of the uninsured carries a heavy burden, particularly among the most vulnerable Americans. People who lack health insurance are sicker and die earlier compared with insured individuals. By forging alliances with our partners in this important endeavor, we create an unprecedented opportunity to break the logjam that has prevented decisive action on this vital issue. This affordable and practical plan will move us forward in preventing premature death and disability among uninsured Americans."
- Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., executive director, American Public Health Association

America's Health Insurance Plans:
"After more than 60 years of debate on how to achieve universal access, this group of diverse stakeholders has come together on a common solution. Now is the time to move forward and make these goals a reality."
- Karen Ignagni, president and CEO, America's Health Insurance Plans

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association:
"Reaching consensus is a long and sometimes difficult process, but every participating group put the interests of America's uninsured first - even when doing so meant walking away from certain long-held positions. With such divergent political ideologies, it is unprecedented for these groups to have a joint agreement. Helping the millions of Americans who do not have health insurance is an issue that needs to transcend politics and partisanship, and that is why we worked together to give Congress a starting point that we can all support."
- Scott P. Serota, president and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Catholic Health Association:
"The Catholic Health Association has long advocated for those in need, especially the uninsured. Our work with the coalition has been guided by our health ministry's vision to right the injustices of nearly 46 million women, men, and children without health coverage. We hope that the goodwill of two years of deliberations among diverse stakeholders has resulted in a proposal that is the catalyst for change because maintaining the status quo is simply not acceptable."
- Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO, Catholic Health Association

Families USA:
"This historic agreement transcends traditional political and ideological boundaries to break the gridlock about expanded health coverage for the uninsured. Our unprecedented agreement and coalition should serve as a model for Congress and the President to see that health coverage is expanded to as many people as possible as quickly as possible - starting with America's children this year."
- Ron Pollack, executive director, Families USA

Healthcare Leadership Council:
"These 16 diverse organizations are saying with one voice that not only is America's uninsured crisis a solvable challenge, but also that inaction and gridlock are not legitimate options. If our groups can put aside long-standing political and philosophical differences to develop solutions, then so can and should our nation's policymakers."
- Mary R. Grealy, president, Healthcare Leadership Council

Johnson & Johnson:
"As Congress focuses on health this year, our coalition hopes that Members review our proposal in light of the significant current costs to patients and the health care system that result from inadequate health insurance. Each year, for example, more than 18,000 uninsured Americans die from preventable or treatable diseases. Our balanced proposal can dramatically reduce the number of uninsured, enhancing both patient lives and our health care system broadly."
- Robert Darretta, vice chairman, Johnson & Johnson

Kaiser Permanente:
"Working with this diverse group of stakeholders has been a good experience for all of us. In the end, we discovered that we all shared a strong commitment to moving this issue forward at the national level. That commitment paved the way to agreement by helping everyone transcend ideological barriers and find a remarkable degree of consensus on concrete, real-world solutions. We hope our approach, emphasizing the synergy of private and public initiatives, provides a model for quick congressional action that will extend health care coverage to as many people as possible."
- Robert Crane, senior vice president for research and policy development, Kaiser Permanente

Pfizer Inc:
"At Pfizer, we believe that Americans should have access to quality health care coverage, and we are pleased to be part of this unprecedented effort among a broad group of health care leaders. Despite our diverse perspectives about America's health care system, we've come together to put forth a balanced set of health coverage expansion proposals. We are committed to working together to provide uninsured Americans with improved access to affordable and quality health care coverage."
- Karen Katen, vice chairman, Pfizer Inc.

United Health Foundation:
"As the organization that convened this effort, we at United Health Foundation are proud that 16 organizations were able to seek and achieve common ground, in a high-minded and principled way, to advance a strategy to cover as many uninsured people as possible, as quickly as possible. The result is a tangible recommendation that can be immediately implemented. While our efforts are not the final or only solution, the proposal we have forged is a significant achievement that can make meaningful coverage available to millions of adults and children who desperately need more action and less debate."
- Reed Tuckson, M.D., senior vice president, United Health Foundation

U.S. Chamber of Commerce:
"The issue of the uninsured affects every individual in this country and every employer. This diverse group has importantly paired private sector and public sector policy proposals to grapple with this complex problem. It is time to advance this issue and implement a creative solution that will build on the current system and create new avenues for expanding coverage for all Americans."
- R. Bruce Josten, executive vice president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Additional information is available at: www.sfcg.org and www.coalitionfortheuninsured.org

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