Commonwealth Fund 4/4/2024

Half the U.S. population — 157 million people — rely on employer health plans for their insurance coverage. But high out-of-pocket costs deter many low- and middle-income workers from using their plan to get care.

That’s why the new Commonwealth Fund National Task Force on the Future Role of Employers in the U.S. Health System will be examining the changes needed to improve American workers’ access to timely, affordable health care. The nonpartisan group aims to develop a blueprint for addressing the challenges faced by employers and their employees through market incentives, regulatory changes, and other options with the potential to enhance health coverage in the workplace; ensuring equitable access to affordable care; and improving population health and care delivery.

“While there have been significant changes in the nation’s health insurance landscape over the past 14 years, there has been little attention paid to the critical role that employers play, and will continue to play for the foreseeable future,” says Sherry Glied, dean of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, who will serve as cochair with Peter Lee, senior scholar at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. Other task force members include former health industry stakeholders, experts in employer coverage, and health care thought leaders.

“The nation has made great strides in expanding coverage,” says Lee, “but we need to be sure that the coverage most Americans get through their workplace is meeting their needs.” 

Task Force Members include:

• Peter Lee, J.D.: Senior scholar at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. Former executive director of Covered California and director of delivery system reform in the Obama administration.
• Sherry Glied, Ph.D.: Dean of the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Leemore Dafny, Ph.D.: Professor of Business Administration at Harvard University. Former deputy director for healthcare and antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission.
• Lloyd Dean: Chief Executive Emeritus and Founding Executive of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the US.
• Andrew Dreyfus: Former President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, known for innovation in payment models and quality improvement.
• José Escarce, M.D., Ph.D.: Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at UCLA, specializing in health economics and health workforce issues.
• Yvette Fontenot, M.P.P.: CEO of Impact Health Policy Partners, with extensive experience in federal health care roles, including helping implement the Affordable Care Act.
• Paul Fronstin, Ph.D.: Director of Health Benefits Research at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, focusing on trends in employment-based health benefits and public policy.
• Robert Galvin, M.D., M.B.A.: Former CEO of Equity Healthcare at The Blackstone Group and founder of several nonprofits supporting quality measurement and payment reform.
• Benedic Ippolito, Ph.D., M.S.: Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in health economics and public policy.
• Ken Jacobs: Cochair of the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley, with expertise in low-wage work and health care policy.
• Jason Levitis, J.D.: Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, specializing in health care policy and implementation, particularly related to the Affordable Care Act.
• Amy Monahan, J.D.: Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, recognized expert in employee benefits law.
• Barak Richman, J.D., Ph.D.: Professor of Law and Business Administration at Duke University, with research interests in health care policy and antitrust.
• John Rowe, M.D.: Professor of Health Policy and Aging at Columbia University, former CEO of Aetna, and leader in health care and related benefits organizations.
• LaJuanna Russell, M.B.A.: Founder and President of Business Management Associates, Inc., with extensive experience in business operations and government contracting.
• Mark Smith, M.D., M.B.A.: Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, former president and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation.
• Sally Welborn: Executive Director of Advisory Services for the Employer Health Innovation Roundtable, with experience in global benefits programs and health care innovation.