The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce thinks that affordable access to health care is ... to provide the much-needed soluti
The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce 83rd Legislative Session Position Statements Health Care The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce thinks that affordable access to health care is an essential component in developing and sustaining economic viability in the city of Fort Worth. As key members of the business community, health care providers provide services that ensure the community maintains a healthy and productive workforce needed to attract businesses and enhance Fort Worth’s competitive advantage. The chamber supports the following policy positions during the 83rd Legislative Session: •
Continue to support the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and the establishment of an Allopathic Medical College to provide the much-needed solutions for health issues Texans face; and
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Support expansion of graduate medical residency slots, including positions for private, nonprofit hospitals; and
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Protect and enhance Fort Worth's position as a leader in medical research and medical technology innovation; and
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Support efforts to reduce the number of uninsured and underinsured, such as: o Ensure adequate Medicaid and CHIP funding for providers and maximize federal matching funds; o Provide an adequate balance of funding among public and private safety net hospitals in the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) and 1115 Waiver programs; o Support legislative and regulatory efforts that provide funding for uncompensated trauma care, intensive and specialty care, burn and emergency readiness to providers; o ADDENDUM March 2013: The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce believes that the federal government should provide the State of Texas the flexibility it needs to put the costs of Medicaid on a more sustainable path.*
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Protect the medical liability and tort reforms that provide fairness, predictability and efficiency in the civil justice system; and
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Reduce the nursing, allied health, and physician workforce shortages through enhanced funding for educational programs; and 1
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Allow businesses to freely pool together and negotiate with health insurers to lower costs for government and businesses while improving choice and competition; and
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Promote initiatives that foster wellness and prevention programs for employers and employees.
BACKGROUND The Fort Worth Chamber thinks that the enhancement of health services throughout the state by decreasing our uninsured to reimbursing our providers at higher rates will improve the quality of lives and subsequently the quality of the workforce. Looking at healthcare regionally would provide a cost effective measure for metropolitan areas. *The original position statement on Medicaid was approved November 2012, after the Supreme Court decision that the states could make their own determinations as to Medicaid expansion under the ACA. The initial statement was made because the Governor had stated he would not expand Medicaid. Therefore, we chose to advocate for maximizing federal matching funds under the current system. As the issue has evolved, further discussions with the Chamber’s board and committees led to a revision of the language in early March 2013 to allow endorsement of expansion if Texas participates in ACA with caveats that allow Texas to be flexible to design plans to cover expansion in a sustainable manner. Texas is a diverse state with a unique set of challenges and a track record of public-private solutions to address budget needs.
