The new Executive Director for the Universal Health Care Plan will be Dr. Miriam McDowell, whose former employment was wide-ranging including PacificSource Health Plans.  

* Mary Lou Hennrich has joined the Board in the position formerly held by Warren George.

Bad news: The Governing Board’s two top staffers below the E.D. (Jenny and Katy) are both leaving for other jobs–as learned within the last two days..  Because the staff is decimated, the Board and most of its committees will take a month’s “pause” in their work, resuming a month later.

The first part of the meeting was a presentation by Chunhuei Chi on basic frameworks, terminology, and equity issues in taxation for health care financing (same presentation given to GB on Feb. 20).  

• Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS).  Currently Medicaid provides better benefits for LTSS than PEBB does.  The Board favors an approach for the new Universal Health Care that will retain these benefits for those who would be eligible for Medicaid, including meeting tests for very low levels of income and assets.  Private insurance coverage for LTC could continue.  Additionally, the Committee will recommend that some kind of new Task Force be set up independent of this PD&E Committee to explore additional option(s).