Ingram's October 2022

with respect, and to have what they’re going through taken seriously, knowing that when they need you, you’re there for them. In some ways, the more important solutions are really the ones that have been there all along. Q: What are you hearing from your small and mid-size clients in terms of their coverage needs and costs? A: When the pandemic began, it was all hands on deck, truly an emergency. A lot of normal concerns were thrown out the window. Coming out of it, there’s a perennial concern, which is affordability. Employers are looking for affordable options. And that often means different types of products, like level funded, that aren’t tremendously innovative, but are on the shelf. One thing we’ve seen is more of the larger payers offering self-funded arrangements for smaller groups than ever before. That’s sometimes a short-term fix, but one that creates longer-term risks, so we counsel members to be very careful about it. Q: Other changes that might be helping hold the line on employer costs? A: In Kansas, we’ve had increased interest in association health plans, and we’re excited about that. We’re working with local chambers of commerce to offer a new association called Chamber Blue. There’s huge interest there. We’ve worked with associations for decades, but wanted to take this on because it has to be managed carefully. If you try to do it with flashy premiums at the outset, it can really undermine stability for those organizations, but if it’s done right, it can really benefit them. For employers, it’s always been about affordability, but recently, we’ve had a lot of employers ask us about pre ventive care, workplace wellness. Some smaller companies want to get more involved in well ness because they believe that employees who are healthier will use the health care system in ways that are less expensive. Q: It’s been roughly a decade since the first regulatory guidance for the Affordable Care Act was put in place; did it succeed as public policy? A: I think it’s succeeded in many ways, but the job isn’t done. In Kansas, we were the only insurer that stuck with it the entire time. In the early years, when the exchange

opened, ACA consumers needed a greater level of health care than a lot of payers real ized, and across the country, most of them got out. That left a lot of counties with just one carrier, and some with none at all. We stuck it out because we wanted Kansans to have a local option. It was challenging finan cially, but we don’t regret it one bit. As the pool stabilized, people recognized that it’s a great option for a lot of people without good employer coverage. Q: Did it move the needle on costs? A: Not really, or at least not enough. It did get a lot more people covered. We now have millions of people who can afford coverage who couldn’t before, but that’s because of the ACA’s subsidies, not because the law brought down the overall cost. But the law was written in 2010, and times change—the economic realities, the pandemic, things are more expensive now. We haven’t kept the subsidy levels and the other numbers up to date. As a payer, we have to fit our products in a way the law is written. If Congress takes a new look at ACA, it can help cover more people and allow them to be able to afford more things in life. But its primary goal was to get more people covered, and in that, it absolutely succeeded. For that reason, I think it’s one of the most underrated laws ever passed. Q: You’ve worn a lot of hats there in 16 years. How did the wide range of executive jobs there set the stage for your leadership? A: My first boss here, one of my mentors (previous CEO), Andy Corbin, threw me into a whole lot of different roles, probably before I was even ready for them. But … it was a gift. You figure it out. You humble yourself, you ask questions, and you find people who can help you understand the challenges you’re facing. Andy and I are very different people, but he saw something good in me, and I’ll always be grateful for that. When you’re confronted with something you’ve never seen before, you get better. I learned to solve problems, grow up a bit, developed relationships with a lot of people, and all of that makes you better and stronger, even if it is stressful at the time.

“Finding great partner ships with providers but still meeting the

formed a partnership with MiResource. They connect people to mental health providers that fit that patient and their specific needs, accounting for their cultural preferences, when they prefer to meet, how they prefer to meet, what type of therapy they might need. We’re finding that in many ways, that’s the most important thing. It’s important to get a provider, but it needs to be the right one. Q: What about the role of Big Data? A: It’s something we need to get better at as an industry. We certainly can use data from the payer side, direct people to more cost-effective care and preventive care, and anticipate what else is happening in their lives. But in many ways, sometimes we overthink things, and we assume that using something like Big Data is going to be the solution. What people really want is somebody they can rely on, to be treated economic needs of our members and groups is really challenging.” — Matt All, President & CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

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I n g r a m ’ s

Kansas City’s Business Media

October 2022