RIBGH Joins Rhode Island Partners in Multi-State Conversation on the AHEAD Model

The Rhode Island Business Group on Health (RIBGH) was recently invited by United States of Care to participate in a small, multi-state discussion with representatives from the National Academy for State Health Policy, West Health, the five states other states selected to participate in the AHEAD Model, and staff from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).

RIBGH attended alongside colleagues from the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC), Rhode Island Medicaid, and the Rhode Island Parent Information Network, ensuring that Rhode Island’s employer, regulatory, consumer, and public-sector perspectives were all represented.

What Is the AHEAD Model?

Rhode Island has applied for—and received an invitation to join—the AHEAD Model, a federal initiative designed to address several longstanding challenges in the U.S. health system: rising healthcare costs, fragmented care delivery, poor population health, and growing financial pressures on providers. The Model brings a comprehensive, system-wide approach, aligning incentives across primary care, hospitals, and care partnerships to improve affordability and system performance.

What Comes Next?

Over the next one to two years, Rhode Island will develop a state-specific implementation plan. All hospitals, primary care organizations, and insurers will be encouraged to participate, creating an opportunity for broad alignment across the healthcare system. For employers, this work has important implications for stabilizing commercial premiums and improving value.

Why It Matters for Affordability

Al Charbonneau, RIBGH’s Executive Director and a former hospital CEO who participated in a similar payment model in Rochester, New York in the 1980s, noted that this effort represents “a major opportunity to align payment incentives with affordability while helping hospitals improve their margins.” The Rochester model produced commercial premiums substantially below the national average, demonstrating the potential for well-designed payment reform to improve both cost and performance.

RIBGH will continue to collaborate with state partners and represent the employer voice as Rhode Island moves forward in the AHEAD planning process.