Hosted on May 21st, 2024
In this webinar, we hear from leaders at People’s Action, the Center for Health Progress in Colorado, and El Centro in Kansas City, each of whom bring tangible examples of work to hold health care institutions and insurers accountable for how their practices impact patients.
Holding Institutions Accountable for Access and Equity
from Rx Foundation’s Power is a Social Determinant of Health series
Session description: The ability of each of us to get the care that we need, when we need it, and how we need it is often impacted by the harmful decisions and practices of the institutions that provide and pay for care. As issues like medical debt and debt collection practices, claims denials, health care costs, and community benefits transparency and accountability rise in prominence, there is increasing scrutiny of the decisions and practices of health care systems and insurers. This conversation will explore how non-profit groups at the local, state, and national levels are organizing people impacted by the practices of these institutions to advocate for change, and will illustrate the discussion with case studies and examples of corporate accountability strategies and campaigns around the US.
We will dig into questions that include:
-What does corporate accountability mean in the context of health care and the systems for insurance and payment?
-Why does this lane of action include and go beyond expanding insurance coverage options?
-How could health care systems and insurers benefit from responding positively to calls for greater accountability?
As more states near universal health insurance coverage, the fight for health care justice doesn’t stop there. Recognizing how corporate interests inside the health care system are prioritizing profit and wealth generation over patient experience, holistic care, and population health, nonprofit organizing groups are launching accountability campaigns that fight against these trends.
Watch the Recording
Examples from
Holding Institutions Accountable
Center for Health Progress
El Centro
People’s Action Institute
Session Highlights
Speakers
Erica Andrade (she/her)
Erica Andrade was appointed President and CEO of El Centro on July 1, 2023. She was born in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas and is the proud daughter of a strong, resilient immigrant mother from Guanajuato, Mexico.
Erica has worked at El Centro for the past 22 years, El Centro is a nonprofit organization with a strong 46-year history of serving the Latino community of the Kansas City, Kansas area. As a Spanish first organization we support our Latino community by reducing language barriers so they can access services they need, and deserve, to thrive. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 2001 with a BA in Latin American Studies and from University of Missouri in Kansas City with her MPA 2019.
Rayna Hetlage (she/her)
Rayna Hetlage is a passionate community organizer and the Director of Political Strategy at the Center for Health Progress. With an MPH in Health Systems Management and Policy from the Colorado School of Public Health, she is dedicated to advocating for healthcare reform that focuses on the needs and experiences of communities of color.
Raised in Portland, Oregon, Rayna learned the importance of being unwavering in her willingness to speak truth to power in the pursuit of a better world. Inspired by Shirley Chisholm’s quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” Rayna is committed to ensuring that communities of color have a voice in shaping health care policies and decision-making processes. She strives to use her expertise to support community members in becoming leaders in the spaces where decisions are made.
As a self-proclaimed health policy nerd, Rayna’s work has primarily involved advancing legislation aimed at increasing access and affordability of health care, such as SB20-215: Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, HB21-1232 Colorado Option, and HB22-1289 Cover All Coloradans. She currently serves as the Chair of the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, allocating over $200 million annually to make health care more affordable for Coloradans. She envisions a healthcare system shaped by communities, prioritizing people over profit.
Aija Nemer-Aanerud (they/them)
Aija Nemer-Aanerud started organizing as a student leader with the People’s Action Institute affiliate The People’s Lobby in Chicago, Illinois. They went on to co-found and direct Student Action, People’s Action’s constituency development project that organized and developed the power of college students and young people and built powerful local chapters on campuses across the country, fighting for Free College for All. Aija has 12 years of organizing experience, and they currently work directing the Health Care for All campaign, working with member groups to develop winning strategies that advance our goal of winning tangible victories for the communities we represent.
Connect With Us on Social Media
Follow-us on social media for the most up-to-date news, resources, and events from the Rx Foundation and its partners.