What did you value most about this session?

"Hearing other opinions and rationales."

"Helped me think more concretely about what I do and don't value."

"Discussion of tradeoffs with other participants."

Lectures about health insurance would put anyone to sleep. But when you ask a group of people to debate, negotiate and collaborate on what a reasonable health plan should cover, boring becomes intriguing.

Interactive group discussion helps individuals understand a key aspect of healthcare coverage: deciding what is most important and realizing what is not. People learn by listening to others' perspectives and examining their own values. This is why groups matter. And it is why CHCD has been facilitating deliberative group sessions for more than 15 years.

CHCD offers two processes for organizations that want their constituents exposed to the challenges of designing an affordable health plan:

1. Creating the next generation health plan. If you are a business, state agency, insurance company or community that wants to create a more affordable health plan, start by asking your constituents. CHCD customizes the coverage options for your needs. Contact CHCD for more information.

Among those who have used this approach:

• Teichert Corporation, Sacramento, Ca
• Oklahoma, Ohio, North Dakota and Montana Departments of Insurance

2. Educating and team-building. Leadership trainings, conferences, board retreats all benefit from programs that are engaging, highly interactive and educational. For health and non-health organizations alike, this two-hour group session will have participants responding as one Society of Actuaries member did recently, "easily the best session I have ever attended at an SOA meeting."
Contact CHCD for more information.

Among those who use this program regularly:

• American Leadership Forum, Houston, Texas
• California Assembly, Senate and Executive Fellows programs
• Chamber of Commerce Leadership Sacramento program

Click here to see a complete list of groups that have participated.

The CHAT® tool
(used in many of CHCD interactive group sessions)

CHAT is a computer simulation game developed by physician ethicists at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Michigan. Group members make decisions about health benefits packages when there are more choices available than dollars to spend.

This stimulating and educational process takes place in a 2-hour session, where participants design a health coverage package, individually and as a group.CHAT uses individual computers combined with group discussion that involves negotiation, compromise and consensus-building.