Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas officially became chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) during the closing plenary session of the NGA's Annual Meeting today. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin was named NGA Vice Chair. In his first act as NGA Chair, Gov. Douglas announced his chair's initiative titled Rx for Health Reform: Affordable, Accessible, Accountable. The initiative focuses on the critical need for health reform to reduce health care costs, ensure Americans get the highest quality of care and provide coverage for those who lack health insurance.
"As the nation stands poised to reform its health care system, the time is right for governors to define their roles in creating a more coordinated and efficient system," said Gov. Douglas. "My initiative will build on the successes and innovations of states including our efforts in Vermont to create a blueprint for comprehensive health reform while implementing possible new federal initiatives."
To address the myriad health care challenges the United States faces,Rx for Health Reform will:
Provide governors with the information they need to transition to a new health care system;
Develop state-based system improvements and cost containment measures; and
Prepare states for implementation, such as insurance market reforms, state exchanges and other national health reforms.
Before the gavel was passed, governors heard from a panel of experts concerning the interactions between energy and the economy. Speakers included Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy; Kathleen McGinty, founding partner at Peregrine Technology Partners, LLC; Daniel DiMicco, chairman, president and CEO of Nucor; and Ira Magaziner, chairman of the Clinton Foundation Climate Initiative and Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative.
The session closed with governors hearing final thoughts on NGA committee reports and taking up consideration of proposed NGA policies. The nation's governors will reconvene in Washington, D.C., on February 20-22 for the 2010 NGA Winter Meeting. For more information, visitwww.nga.org.
Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and one of Washington, D.C.'s, most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org.
Source: NGA. BILOXI, MISS. July 20, 2009