I’m glad to welcome American Health Insurance Plans Institute 2014 and all the participants to the Pacific Northwest, where I’ve lived and worked most of my life. The Northwest offers a pioneering spirit where so many global consumer brands and innovative companies have their roots, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks and Nordstrom just to name a few.
It makes sense that health plan leaders from around the country would gather this week in Seattle to share insights on tools and solutions to transform how consumers experience healthcare. My hope for our industry is that we can urgently move in this direction, so we can create a more person focused and economically sustainable system.
I’m honored, to represent Cambia Health Solutions as well as AHIP as their chairman. AHIP has created a forward thinking agenda with a lineup of speakers including leading voices in health care and retail. Consumerism is sure to have a profound impact on the health care industry over the next decade.
We are all consumers of healthcare. We all want the best health care experience for ourselves, for our parents, for our partners and for our children. For the people we love most in the world. The time is upon us to make change happen.
Cambia’s roots are also deeply planted in this region; our health plans were born almost 100 years ago, in the Pacific Northwest logging camps where workers pooled their money in case of sickness or injury. We’ve continued to innovate toward consumer needs and have launched several companies under the Cambia umbrella; all of them work together to transform how consumers experience health care. It’s not just about our company though, it’s about all of us working together.
One transformation that’s close to my heart is how we approach health and healing through the completion of life. For nearly a decade, Cambia Health Foundation has focused on leadership development, innovation and implementation of palliative care programs throughout our region. We’ve been inspired by what we’ve learned and have developed a deeper understanding of what’s needed.
We have the privilege of serving people when they’re not at their best. They trust us with what they hold most precious. We must give them the best possible care and listen so they feel heard, secure and comfortable, especially when they’re faced with serious illness. Today, Cambia announced the industry’s most comprehensive palliative care program for individuals with serious illnesses and the families that support them.
We have forward thinking, innovative speakers to look forward to this week at AHIP Institute 2014. It only makes sense that we’re hosting these conversations, right here in the Pacific Northwest, where companies are innovating on the consumer experience and transforming the world we live in by continuing to push the envelope every single day.
