New Year. New Decade. A New Journey.

With the advent of the new year in this new decade, it is an exciting time for Health Action Council. Looking back on all that our consortium has accomplished — improvements in quality of care, expanding our group purchasing programs, extending our reach across all 50 states — it is a time to reflect on these and many other successes. It’s also a time to prepare for the future, to strategize how to capitalize on our success, and to focus on growth for the betterment of the entire group. For the last several months we have been doing exactly that — refreshing and reframing the organization’s strategic plan to better situate Health Action Council and its members moving forward. 

To continue to respond to today’s member’s needs and to be ready for those in the future, we must continue to innovate. With the right tools in place, it will be a positive disruption that allows us to achieve our global goals: keeping cost increases either flat or below CPI; fostering and improving consumer and patient health literacy; ensuring that quality continuously improves name but a few of the challenges before us. We’ve determined that meeting these challenges will require us to refocus on the organization’s mission, strengthen our relationships with member companies, generate growth, and maintain organizational excellence.

I would like to thank our Board of Directors, member organizations and partners for all of their hard work and insights throughout this planning process. I would especially like to thank Tom Tercek, who recently retired from our Board, for his 25 years of expertise, guidance, and experience. Tom’s calm and reasonable voice ensured that our member’s needs and interests were front and center in all Board business. Throughout the years, he advanced Health Action Council in a thoughtful way; separating the noise and chaos from practical need and solution. Our organization would not be in a favorable position without him.

As our Board shifts, so does the landscape of healthcare delivery and insurance. For those of us in the employee benefits space, this is the best time of year to evaluate where we are and make certain where we’re going. It is for this very reason that we hold our Annual Symposium and National Conference & Expo in January and February respectively. With open enrollment behind us, now is the time for our organizations to take stock of the last 12 months and gear up for the year ahead.  

And we’ve got you you covered there. 

Next Thursday, January 23rd at the Nationwide Convention Center in Columbus, this year’s Symposium keynote speaker is none other than former CEO of Aetna, Mark Bertolini. Mark is a transformative leader in healthcare, taking a traditional insurance company and transforming it into a consumer-oriented enterprise all while significantly increasing shareholder profit. His secret — that genuine leadership is not about dollars and market share but rather improving lives and communities. 

Mark’s vision is in perfect alignment with our own — healthy, vibrant communities where business thrives. It is my sincere hope that your vision for your organization, for your benefits and wellbeing program is enhanced as a result of your attendance at our Symposium next week and our National Conference in Cleveland next month. I hope that each and every one of you in attendance take advantage of the day, networks with peers, and gain a fresh perspective. After all, the entire experience is designed with you, our members in mind.  

It’s a new year in a new decade. Let’s make this journey together. Let’s push our programs forward towards better outcomes, lowered costs, and a healthier workforce. Let’s anticipate the needs of tomorrow and start working on them today.