Leaders discuss “State of Health” at event in Montgomery
The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a “State of Health” event this morning to discuss the status of healthcare in our area.
The discussion focused on the challenges Alabamians face with healthcare and health insurance.
Ted Hosp of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama spoke about the potential changes in the way healthcare is paid for, particularly at the federal level, and how that might impact and delivered locally.
“Healthcare is always changing,” Hosp said. “It is an incredible part of every person’s life, and we are very proud to be covering about two million people here in Alabama. But it is always changing, and we are going to have to keep a focus on that.”
Speaking on Jackson Hospital’s financial uncertainty, Hosp says there’s not the capacity in Montgomery to absorb the patients at Jackson into other hospitals. He said customers at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama need access to affordable quality coverage and Jackson is an integral part of that, so they are in discussions with Jackson to see what can be done.
Dr. Louis Lambiase, who is the regional dean of the UAB Montgomery campus, says we live in a remarkable age. He says diseases that were not curable when he went to medical school in the 1980s are curable now, but that comes at a cost and the cost is who’s going to pay for it.
“We’re going to need some innovative solutions here in Montgomery,” he said.
