Codman Group Founding Chairman, Philip Caper, MD,Gives Testimony before Maine Governor's Year...

Business/Technology Editors and Health/Medical Writers

ANDOVER, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--March 20, 2000

Presentation Addresses "Managed Competition" within a "Global Budget"

On March 7, 2000, Dr. Philip Caper, Founding Chairman of the Codman Group,

The Commission, established by Maine Governor Angus King, is charged with making recommendations for stabilizing overall health care costs and identifying different ways to pay for health care. In carrying out its work, the Commission is being asked to look at Maine's health insurance market, the number and characteristics of Maine's uninsured population, Maine's hospital structure including emergency room costs and the impact of charity care, the impact of Maine's low Medicare reimbursement rates on health care costs, and purchasing options for insurance and prescription drugs.

At it's March 7th meeting Dr. Caper delivered his testimony and provided the Commission a copy of an article he published during the Clinton health care reform effort called "Managed Competition That Works". In it, he proposed a voucher-based system of public financing for health care to largely replace our current employment-based system of private insurance. Care would be delivered entirely in the private sector through a system of health plans that would be required to accept the vouchers as payment in full for a package of required services.

Following his testimony, Dr. Caper took questions from Commission members and other attendees at the session, which was open to the public. Mr. Robert Woodbury, Chairman of the Commission, stated "We were pleased to have Dr. Caper appear before the Commission. His testimony was extremely thoughtful and provocative. As the Commission attempts to sort out a very difficult assignment, Dr. Caper and others have helped us see the larger picture in all its complexity."

Dr. Caper's prior experience includes operational management of a leading health care provider and first hand involvement in national health care policy making as a professional staff member of the Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, U.S. Senate. He has served on the faculties of the Schools of Public Health at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. He received his B.A., M.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles and postgraduate training (Internal Medicine) at Harvard University.

Dr. Caper's written remarks and article are in the public file at the Law and Legislative Reference Library in Augusta, Maine, and are posted at the Commission's web site at http://www.mdf.org/chc/.

Codman Group, a medical management company, develops and markets software, consulting, and information solutions that enable its customers to improve medical costs and quality. Its products and services achieve this through rigorous analysis and interpretation of health care data. Codman's customers include over 30 commercial and government healthcare payers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans in 13 states and State Medicaid Plans in 7 states.