Castlight Health CEO to Testify in Senate Finance Committee Hearing on Health Care Transparency

Jun 14, 2013

Giovanni Colella, M.D., Steven Brill, and Heath Care Industry Experts, to Detail the Need for Greater Transparency into the Cost and Quality of Health Care

WASHINGTON – June 14, 2013 – The high, volatile and often hidden cost of health care is one of the most pressing issues confronting America’s citizens and businesses today. As multiple news reports have revealed, comparable health care services can vary widely in price even within the same metropolitan area – driving up costs for patients and their employers.

Next Tuesday, Castlight Health co-founder and CEO, Giovanni Colella, M.D., along with Steven Brill, J.D.; Suzanne Delbanco, Ph.D; and Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D. will participate in a United States Senate Committee on Finance hearing to outline how improved health care transparency is essential in helping address the health care cost crisis. The hearing will take place at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 18, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

Dr. Colella will discuss how the availability of health care cost and quality data empowers consumers to make smarter decisions about their care, in turn helping the market become more efficient and effective. Colella will also highlight policy proposals that could help increase transparency in the health care market.

  • What: United States Senate Committee on Finance Hearing: “High Prices, Low Transparency: The Bitter Pill of Health Care Costs”
  • When: Tuesday, June 18, 2013, 10:00 a.m. ET
  • Where: 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC  20002
  • Who: Giovanni Colella, M.D., co-founder and CEO, Castlight Health; Steven Brill, J.D., contributing editor, TIME; Suzanne Delbanco, Ph.D, executive director, Catalyst for Payment Reform; Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., president, Center for Studying Health System Change
  • Social: Join the conversation on Twitter with @CastlightHealth and by using the hashtag #hctransparency
  • Web: http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/

“The American health care system is broken, and much of this is based on the fact that there is no transparency into what kind of care an individual will receive, and at what cost,” said Dr. Colella. “However, for the first time in many years, there is hope and a movement towards transforming the health care industry for the better. This responsibility should be shared by a number of parties, including policy-makers, technology companies, health care providers and insurers. Through a collective effort to ensure individuals have the information they need to make informed health care decisions, we can give our nation the health care system we all deserve.”

The hearing will be live-streamed on the United States Senate Committee on Finance’s website. The live stream can be accessed here: http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/

Additional information on the hearing can be found here: http://ow.ly/m1k7H

About Castlight Health

Castlight Health enables employers, their employees, and health plans to take control of health care costs and improve care. Named #1 on The Wall Street Journal’s list of “The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies” for 2011 and one of Dow Jones’ 50 Most Investment-Worthy Technology Start-Ups, Castlight Health helps the country’s self-insured employers and health plans empower consumers to shop for health care. Castlight Health is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by prominent investors including Allen & Company, Cleveland Clinic, Maverick Capital, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Oak Investment Partners, Redmile Group, T. Rowe Price, U.S. Venture Partners, Venrock, Wellcome Trust and two unnamed mutual funds. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.castlighthealth.com or call (415) 829-1400.

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Press Contact:

Joan Levy

Blanc & Otus for Castlight Health

[email protected]

415.856.5110

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