Leadership
Joseph Ditré
Executive Director
Joseph Ditré has over 24 years of experience in researching and analyzing private and public health insurance policies and programs. Mr. Ditré directs, manages, and oversees the general operations of the organization and provides policy and legal analysis. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1983, where he was awarded the Jefferson B. Fordham Human Rights Award.
Hilary Schneider
Director of Programs and Policy
Hilary Schneider has 10 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative research, analysis, and evaluation of a variety of industries and government programs in both the private and nonprofit sectors. She directs and manages the organization’s program and policy operations and conducts policy research and analyses. Ms. Schneider holds a Master in Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.A. in Economics from Bates College.
Organization’s Objective
Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC) is trying to solve the problem of access to affordable, quality health care in Maine. Maine is a small (in population terms), lower-income, rural state spread across a large geographic area. Maine has highly consolidated, somewhat monopolized hospital and insurance industries. In addition, while Maine has a Democratic Governor and Democratic majorities in Maine’s House and Senate, the margins in the Senate are very tight. In addition, Maine’s US Congressional delegation is split on party lines, with 2 Republican senators and 2 Democratic representatives. As is the case across the nation, in Maine, health care has become a politically polarizing issue. In combination, these characteristics create barriers to access to affordable, quality health care.
CAHC led consumer efforts to create, enact, implement and fund Dirigo Health in Maine. Dirigo Health established the framework of the first universal access to health coverage system in the continental United States. As a first step, the framers decided to use Dirigo Health as a bridge between public coverage (MaineCare) and private coverage for individuals, sole proprietors, and small businesses. The coverage is voluntary and uses a combination of public and private revenues. While Dirigo Health is moving toward a larger, shared risk pool, consolidated revenue streams, greater payer equity, and consolidated claims administration, achieving universal coverage will take a more concentrated effort on revenue sources and cost controls.
Proposed alternatives to universal health care, such as “consumer-driven health plans,” “high deductible health plans,” “high risk pools,” “catastrophic coverage plans,” and “health savings accounts” rely on significant cost-shifting to consumers in order to “reduce” premiums. Some policymakers, employers and consumers are attracted to these plans because of their seemingly lower cost. However, the negative impacts of these plans often outweigh any cost savings and undermine the true intent of “insurance.” Nonetheless, these plans present a major obstacle to achieving universal health care because the general public is largely unaware of the associated cost-shifting and other negative attributes.
