Page 16 - SFHN1018pagesFINAL.qxp_SFHN 0608 Friday 5.0

A message from our President

The Election Season
EVENTS
Is Upon Us!

OCTOBER 3
Over the last several months, we have been bom- Canadian Pitch Day –
barded with campaign messages from just about Sponsored by Canadian Consulate of Miami
every possible source. Now, the primaries are over
and we are faced with making final decisions about OCTOBER 10
candidates and other ballot issues. With so many 4:00-5:30 pm
races both too close to call and for many races, there Broward Legislative Brief – Memorial Regional Hospital
being no incumbents, there has been more discussion
about the possible expansion of Florida’s Medicaid OCTOBER 12
Program, intended to provide insurance coverage for 8:15 am – 12:30 pm - Education Roundtable –
many of Florida’s most vulnerable. Jaime Caldwell SFHHA Conference Room
Not only are we hearing about the possible consid-
eration of the expansion of Florida’s Medicaid Program, but, courtesy of Senator
Bernie Sanders’ (D-VT) run for the Presidency, we also are still hearing about OCTOBER 16
national universal coverage maybe within the context of a “Medicare-for-All” pro- 4:00-5:30 pm
gram. Miami-Dade Legislative Brief - Lennar Foundation Medical Center
As you are listening to candidates and studying their platforms, pay attention to
the key thoughts and phrases mentioned below. OCTOBER 18
The two primary approaches for moving to universal coverage are to use the 4:00-5:30 pm
infrastructures we already have in place to handle large numbers of transactions like Palm Beach Legislative Brief – Jupiter Medical Center
Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicare-for-All – this would see the current Medicare and Medicaid programs OCTOBER 29
going away in favor of a newly constructed healthcare plan. This plan would cover Annual Golf Tournament - 8:30 Shotgun
a comprehensive set of benefits at a cost of an estimated $32 trillion over a ten-year
time span. Suspicion is that it would require some combination of new taxes and Pembroke Lakes Golf Club
employer contributions to fund. Remember, the resources already in place for the
current Medicare and Medicaid programs would go toward funding this new alter- NOVEMBER 2
native. Educational Program with Networking
Or, Medicare-X – this option would use the current Medicare structure, including
the use of Medicare’s networks and rates, and be sold through the Health Insurance DECEMBER 6
Marketplace to compete with other private plans. 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Or, Medicaid Buy-In – this option would rely on states to create a new insurance Annual Meeting and Dinner – Signature Grand, Davie, FL
product using their existing Medicaid infrastructure. This plan also could be sold
on the individual market. In a sense, residents could “Buy-In” to the Medicaid pro-
gram.
You also will likely hear about comparisons of these plans to other countries.
Don’t be surprised to hear about Canada’s insurance plan, or the United Kingdom’s
National Health Service, or Germany’s privately operating system with non-profit New Member: September 2018

insurers, or, lastly, Taiwan’s recent plan called the National Health Insurance Dialyze Direct
Program. Taiwan’s program is mandatory, comprehensive, and Taiwan only spends
seven percent of their Gross Domestic Product on healthcare. In fact, the distin-
guishing feature about all these plans is the fact that they consume so much less of
their country’s gross domestic product than does the United States. 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Change is in our future, get ready!
CHAIRMAN: David Wagner, Kindred South Florida Market CEO
VICE CHAIR: Mark Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Memorial Hospital Pembroke
SECRETARY: William "Bill" Duquette, Chief Executive Officer, Homestead Hospital, Baptist Health South Florida
TREASURER: Charles Felix, Publisher, South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report
SFHHA COMMITTEES AT-LARGE: Ben Riestra, Chief Administrative Officer, UHealth’s Lennar Foundation Medical Center
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR: Lincoln Mendez, Chief Executive Officer, South Miami Hospital
AT-LARGE: Joel Wherley, Chief Operating Officer, VITAS
AT-LARGE: Maria Currier, Partner, Holland & Knight, LLP
Education Committee Doug Bartel, MBA Patricia Greenberg Jared Smith
Sr. Director of Business Development, Media President Chief Executive Officer
and External Relations National Healthcare Associates Broward Health Coral Springs
Healthcare Finance and Management Committee Florida Blue
Ralph A. Marrinson, NHA, FACHA Patrick Taylor, MD
Wael Barsoum, M.D. President Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Health Information Technology Committee Cleveland Clinic Hospital Marrinson Group Holy Cross Hospital

Don McKenna, FACHE Steven Ullmann
Kevin Conn President & CEO Director
Marketing and Public Relations Committee Regional Vice President of Operations Jupiter Medical Center University of Miami Health Policy
HEALTHSOUTH Corporation Management
Charles Michelson
Darcy Davis
Partner
Membership Committee Chief Executive Officer Saltz Michelson Architects Ana M. Viamonte Ros, M.D.
Medical Director for Palliative Care
Health Care District of Palm Beach County and Bioethics
Aristides (Ardy) Pallin Baptist Health South Florida
Quality and Patient Safety Committee Michael Gittelman Chief Operating Officer
Chief Executive Officer Catholic Health Services Jonathan Watkins
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Chief Executive Officer
Safety and Security Committee Michael Roffelson Broward Health Imperial Point
Chief Executive Officer, HEALTHSOUTH
Rehabilitation Hospital – Sunrise
16 October 2018 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News