The territory’s Health Reform Implementation Task Force met Tuesday at Government House, St. Croix to discuss continuing initiatives to improve the delivery of healthcare services to residents of the Virgin Islands. The meeting was convened by Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis, who is chairman of the task force and the territory’s Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. 

Chairman of the territory's Health Reform Implementation Task Force and Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis discusses healthcare reform at task force meeting on St. Croix, February 22, 2011.

Like other states and territories across the nation, the task force is closely monitoring political debate in Washington, D.C. to determine possible impact on its efforts to ensure healthcare access for the territory’s uninsured. 

One of the priorities of the task force has been to explore ways to provide affordable health care insurance to small business owners and individuals. This week, the territory applied for a Health Insurance Exchange planning grant, which will be used to determine the feasibility of establishing an Exchange, which is essentially a marketplace for Virgin Islands insurance companies. Grant funds would allow the territory to research the private insurance market, gather stakeholder input, and develop a program model for the Exchange and methods to integrate with the existing Medicaid program. Additionally, the Bureau of Internal Revenue will shortly issue guidelines for the territory’s implementation of the Small Business Tax Credit authorized by PPACA to encourage small employers to provide health care coverage for their employees. 

During the two-hour meeting, the Health Reform Implementation Task Force received updates from Paul Ritzma, Executive Director of the Medical Assistance Program, on measures that are being taken to reduce prescription drug costs for the territory. The new pharmacy benefits program is expected to lower the territory’s Medicaid payments for prescriptions and also enable better collection of data regarding usage and spending. Ritzma also spoke of ongoing efforts with the state of West Virginia to leverage its state-of-the-art Medicaid Management Information System. Task Force Coordinator Taetia Phillips-Dorsett updated the group on the status of the Workforce Development Subcommittee, as well as the territory’s opportunity to review and provide comment on the proposed rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding Medicare quality improvement. The rules would require providers to give written notice to Medicare beneficiaries of their right to file complaints regarding quality of care. The rules can be viewed on the Lieutenant Governor’s website at www.ltg.gov.vi.

Ellie Hirsh, President of The Family Connection, gave a presentation on behalf of the Early Childhood Advisory Committee of the Children and Families Council, which is chaired by First Lady Cecile de Jongh. Hirsh spoke about the need for coordinated care for children and families and the need to address the shortage of primary care providers for women and children. The shortage of mental health professionals throughout the territory is also a concern for the committee.

The initiative to advance healthcare reform can only be seen as a positive for the territory, as it studies the existing healthcare system to implement best practices and improve overall delivery of services. Future meetings of the task force will focus on design and expansion of the infrastructure to meet an expected increase in eligibility for services. 

Lieutenant Governor Francis thanked the members of the task force for their work on the Insurance Exchange Grant and for their continued commitment to implementing PPACA. “All of your efforts make healthcare reform in the Virgin Islands possible and put affordable healthcare within the reach of every Virgin Islander,” said Lt. Governor Francis. 

The task force is comprised of Chairman Lt. Governor Francis; Attorney General Vincent F. Frazer; Office of Management and Budget Director Debra Gottlieb; Health Commissioner Julia Sheen-Aaron; Human Services Commissioner Christopher Finch; Division of Personnel Director Kenneth Hermon; Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor Pamela B. Berkowsky; Schneider Regional Medical Center CEO Alice Taylor; Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital CEO Jeff Nelson; Frederiksted Health Care, Inc. CEO Masserae Sprauve Webster; St. Thomas East End Medical Center Executive Director Wilbur Smith; GESC-Health Insurance Board of Trustees Chairman John Abramson; Virgin Islands Equicare Executive Director Nancy Bass; and the Legislature’s Chairman for the Committee on Health, Hospitals, and Human Services Senator Patrick Simeon Sprauve. 

The task force meets monthly. The next meeting is scheduled for April 5, 2011 at Government House, St. Thomas.