State and Local GovernmentTopics on This Page
The Role for States and Local GovernmentsState and local governments are one of America's largest employers and purchasers of health care. Governors, county executives and mayors can have a significant impact on the health care system. They have an opportunity to play a leadership role in the movement towards value-driven health care. At the National Governors Association meeting in August 2006, HHS Secretary Leavitt challenged the nation's governors, saying: "My call today is for you to join with the federal government, with the major employers, in moving (value-driven health care) forward, and I believe we'll have a substantially improved system and consumers will have not just the need to know, they'll have what they deserve to know." Each public sector employer is invited to review the four "cornerstone" actions and commit to helping make health care quality and cost information available for their own health plan enrollees. By committing to these goals, public and private employers and other stakeholders in the health care system can help bring about uniform approaches for measuring quality and cost and providing this information to consumers to help them make informed health care choices. Secretary Leavitt is working in close partnership with states and local governments to implement the principles of value-driven health care. HHS is supporting the National Governors Association (NGA) in educating governors and their staffs about the importance of health care transparency. Through a series of issue briefs, conference calls, Web casts, and roundtables, NGA is helping focus the attention of state policymakers on the issues and opportunities around value-driven health care. State and Local Leaders Can Sign Statement of Support for the Four Cornerstones of Value-driven health care Governors, county executives and mayors are asked to support the four cornerstones of value-driven health care and to encourage the health insurance plans, third party administrators, providers, and others with which they contract to take consistent actions to achieve these goals.
State and Local Government SupportThe following state and local governments have either signed Statements of Support for the four cornerstones or taken other significant steps in support of value-driven health care: State Government Support Executive Orders/Statements of Support HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt is inviting governors, local leaders and private employers to review the four "cornerstone" actions and sign the statement of support to commit to helping make health care quality and cost information available for their own health plan enrollees. The following states have signed an Executive Order or Statement of Support. Arizona
California
Colorado
Georgia
Indiana
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington Arizona Arizona Governor Napolitano issued a statement of support on April 30, 2007, noting that the principles of value-driven health care will help Arizona continue to build health care systems, such as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), that place a high priority on efficient and effective patient care. California On March 14, 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order aligning California with the four corner stone of Value-drive Health Care. Governor Schwarzenegger said, "I am committed to improving the quality, transparency and accountability of health care in our state, and this executive order is a step forward in our work to fix California's broken health care system." Colorado In issuing the statement of support for value-driven health care on September 20, 2006, then Governor Bill Owens acknowledged that, “When it comes to health care, information is key. Therefore, I commend the President’s action in helping promote healthcare coast and quality transparency.” Georgia On October 17, 2006, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue signed an executive order creating a 12-member board to advise on the best practices for encouraging the use of health records and establishing a statewide strategy to enable health information to be readily available and transparent. Upon signing the Order, Governor Perdue stated that “Transparency in the marketplace is essential. Increased transparency in Georgia’s health care industry will help families make informed decisions based on the costs and the quality of the services they receive.” Indiana Governor Daniels signed an Executive Order on March 7, 2007 committing the State of Indiana to support the four cornerstones of Value-driven Health Care. As Governor Daniels states in his order, "Over time, the information realized by meeting these goals can be used to improve patient care and enhance the effectiveness of our health care system by increasing the availability of uniform and comparable information with which all stakeholders can make informed decisions. These steps are the foundation for a value-driven heath care system that delivers continued progress in medical care and good health for Hoosier employees as well as for all Americans." Minnesota On April 27, 2007, Minnesota Commissioner of Employee Relations, Patricia Anderson, and Commissioner of the Department of Human Services, Cal Ludeman, on behalf of Governor Tim Pawlenty issued a statement of support for the four cornerstones of value-driven health care stating, “These steps are the foundation for a value-driven healthcare system that delivers continued progress in medical care and good health for our employees and for all Americans.” Mississippi Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour highlighted the principles of value-driven health care in a March 7, 2007 Executive Order establishing a Health Information Infrastructure Task Force. The Executive Order also acknowledges that “the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the need for timely, secure and accessible health information, particularly for Mississippi’s most vulnerable – elderly disabled, and low income populations – and the potentially life-threatening effects of failure to have the information.” Missouri On March 2, 2007, Governor Matt Blunt Signed an Executive Order supporting the four cornerstones of value-driven healthcare. After signing the Executive Order, Governor Blunt observed, "Today's executive order will help build a better health care system for Missourians with better patient care. Supporting transparency empowers the health care consumer, and an informed consumer is better able to find high quality care." Nevada On May 4, 2007 Governor Gibbons issued statement supporting the Value-Driven principals. The Governor noted that “this initiative is part of an ongoing effort to share quality and cost or price information. Over time, this information can be used to improve patient care and enhance the effectiveness of our healthcare system by increasing the availability of uniform and comparable information with which all stakeholders can make informed decisions.” Ohio On May 8, 2007, Governor Strickland signed a statement of support for value-drive health care. Pennsylvania On March 12, 2007, Allen Kukovich, on behalf of Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, signed a Statement Support for Value-Driven Healthcare. Rhode Island On January 12, 2007, Governor Donald Carcieri, issued a statement of support for value-driven health care. In signing the statement, he highlighted what the state of Rhode Island's efforts in support of the four corner stones. Tennessee On February 12, 2007, Governor Phil Bredesen signed a Statement of Support. Noting that, "Transparency in health care pricing and services is critical to both improving the quality of care Tennesseans receive, and to lowering the overall cost of health care for all Tennesseans. It's important that people know how much health care services cost - and what they are getting for the price. I would like to personally thank Secretary Leavitt for his leadership in this area." Texas On October 9, 2006, Texas Governor Rick Perry issued an Executive Order creating a new public-private partnership to create a secure electronic medical records system. Governor Perry expects the Executive Order to help accomplish several objectives, including better use of information technology in health care and empowering consumers with information about the price and quality of care. As Governor Perry explained, “Ultimately, our goal is to improve patient safety and provide consumers with better care at a price more Texas families and small businesses can afford.” Vermont On February 9, 2007, Governor James Douglas signed a Statement of Support for the Four Cornerstones of Value-driven Health Care. "These steps are the foundation for a value-driven healthcare system that delivers continues progress in medical care and good health for our employees and for all Americans," explained Governor Douglas. Virginia On December 1, 2006, Virginia governor Tim Kaine signed an Executive Order that promotes the continued shift toward electronic health records and encourages greater “transparency” in information available to consumers and others about the quality and cost of their health care options. In signing the Executive Order, Governor Kaine observed: “health care transparency provides consumers with information and creates an incentive to choose health care providers based on value. . . . This transparency also will further motivate our health care providers to provide quality care at competitive prices.” Washington On January 3, 2007 Governor Christine Gregoire issued an Executive Order recommitting Washington State as a leader in healthcare purchasing by emphasizing evidence-based health care, better managing chronic disease, making better use of information technology, promoting preventions, health lifestyles, and healthy choices, and creating more transparency in the health care system.
Other State Support - Division of HealthCare Access and Accountability - Wisconsin
- Iowa Department of Administrative Services
- Iowa State Association of Counties
- Iowa State Education Association
- Indiana State Personnel Department
- Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission
- Maine State Employee Health Commission
- Minnesota Department of Human Services
- Minnesota Department of Employee Relations
- Nevada State Senate
- New Hampshire Local Government Center HealthTrust, LLC
- North Carolina State Health Plan
- Ohio Public Employees Retirement System
- Oregon Public Employees Benefit Board
- Oregon School Boards Association Health Trust
- Qualidigm
- Saint Lukes Health System/ Wright Memorial Hospital
- Sanford Center for Aging, University of Nevada, Reno
- State Health Insurance Assistance Program-Nevada Division of Aging Services
- Utah Digital Health Service Commission
- Utah Governor's Office
- Utah Public Employees Health Program
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services
- Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds
- Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (former) (wrote in support of President's Executive Order)
Local Government Support - The National Association of Counties (PDF - 61KB)
- California State Association of Counties (PDF - 67KB)
- Iowa State Association of Counties
- City of Boulder, CO
- City of Kissimmee, FL
- City of Ames, IA
- City of Burlington, IA
- City of Cedar Rapids, IA
- City of Des Moines, IA
- City of Rockford, IL
- City of Indianapolis, IN
- City of Lafayette, IN
- City of Springfield, OR
- City of Pittsburgh, PA
- City of Milwaukee, WI
- City of Las Vegas, NV
- Montgomery County, AL
- Los Angeles County, CA
- Allegheny County, PA
- Hamilton County, TN
- King County, WA
- County of Milwaukee Health Department, WI
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