Rosemarie Greco Discusses Health Care Reform in Pennsylvania

Director of Health Care Reform for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Rosemarie B. Greco, spoke to more than 150 regional businesspeople at Changes in Health Care: The Effect on Pennsylvania Businesses presented by the Chamber last month.

Greco discussed how businesses are affected by the current and future state of health care in Pennsylvania.  “Pennsylvanians use emergency rooms 11 percent more than other Americans because they don’t have access to primary care,” she said.

An architect of Governor Rendell’s health care plan, “Prescription for Pennsylvania,” Greco explained that providing coverage for the uninsured is only part of the solution.  It is also important to maintain quality health care to reduce medical errors and to improve care for people with chronic illnesses, she said. 

Providing a brief overview about health care problems in the United States, Greco said that 46 billion people in America are uninsured.  “Every day in the United States, $5.3 billion is spent more on health care than on food,” she added.

Following Greco’s speech, a panel discussion addressed how changes in health care affect employee benefits, productivity, and businesses throughout the Commonwealth.

Panelists included Connie D’ Argenio, Vice President, Business Management, Healthcare Information Technology Division, Siemens Medical Solutions USA; John K. Dugan, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Stephen P. Fera, Vice President, Government Programs, Independence Blue Cross; Timothy Henning, MS, RPh, Senior Director, National Accounts – Employers, Pfizer, Inc.; and Pam Clarke, Vice President, Managed Care, Delaware Valley Healthcare Council of HAP.  John Schultz, Vice President of Sales, IMS Health, moderated the panel discussion.

Held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Houston Hall, the event’s title sponsor was Independence Blue Cross and the media sponsor was the Philadelphia Business Journal.  Additional sponsors included Cancer Treatment Centers of America, IMS Health, NovaCare Rehabilitation, Pfizer, Inc. and Siemen’s Medical Solutions USA. 

Click here to view the Inquirer's article on the event.