Coastal Medical President & CEO Dr. Al Kurose to Join Whitehouse for State of the Union

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on Jan. 3:

* * *

- Whitehouse points to success of the Affordable Care Act in RI despite Trump-led attempts to repeal the law

* * *

Coastal Medical President and CEO Dr. Alan Kurose will head to the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday evening as U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's guest for the State of the Union address. President Donald Trump will deliver the final State of the Union address of his term, which he has spent trying to damage and dismantle the Affordable Care Act through the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In the case of Texas v. United States, which is currently pending before the Fifth Circuit, the Trump administration has argued that the court should invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act, including its legal protections for people with preexisting conditions.

Coastal Medical was designated as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) when, in 2012, it joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program created by the Affordable Care Act. The ACO model allows organizations that succeed both in delivering high-quality care and lowering health care spending to share in the savings achieved for Medicare. Coastal's participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program has helped the organization provide better health and better care at a lower cost.

"Under Dr. Kurose's leadership, Coastal Medical has shown the nation what's possible when it comes to lowering health care costs while delivering exceptional care," said Whitehouse. "Coastal's success shows the Affordable Care Act working in Rhode Island. Even as the Trump administration fights in court to take us back to the days when people with preexisting conditions could be denied insurance, I'm fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act for the tens of thousands of people in the Ocean State who rely on it."

Over the past seven years, Coastal Medical has lowered the total cost of care for its Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and commercial insurance beneficiaries by $92 million while achieving outstanding results on quality and patient satisfaction. Coastal earned shared savings payments of $32 million, most of which has been reinvested in the development of innovative clinical programs.

"I am truly honored by the invitation from Senator Whitehouse to be his guest at the State of the Union Address," said Dr. Kurose. "Senator Whitehouse has been a national leader in healthcare reform, advancing the Affordable Care Act and many other federal and state programs that have improved the quality, safety, and affordability of healthcare. He has also been a tireless advocate for primary care that puts the patient at the center of the healthcare delivery system."

"Coastal would not be where it is today without the healthcare policy leadership provided by Senator Whitehouse," said Kurose. "The citizens of Rhode Island and the nation as a whole continue to benefit from his passionate advocacy for policies that support a more equitable, affordable, and effective healthcare delivery system."

More than 32,000 Rhode Islanders purchased health insurance through the state's exchange last year. Rhode Island's uninsured rate was down to an all-time low of 3.7 percent in 2018. The rate of uninsured Rhode Islanders has decreased by nearly two-thirds since the Affordable Care Act was implemented.