Hazen to Defend Cooperative Model in Testimony before CO-OP Advisory Board

On Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011, the CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association Paul Hazen will testify before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as they work to implement health care legislation that was signed into law in 2010, formerly known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Hazen has been invited to give testimony on the cooperative business model. 

The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast online and via audio conference  The meeting will take place at Jurys Hotel in Washington, DC and is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., Eastern time. 

NCBA became involved in the health care debate on Capitol Hill in 2009, representing cooperatives across the nation. The law passed includes funding for “Consumer Owned and Oriented Plans” (CO-OP), which allows but does not mandate the creation of cooperatives, despite the name of the plan. NCBA is concerned about the blurring of the definition of co-ops created by use of the “CO-OP” name and welcomes this opportunity to protect the cooperative brand and ensure that entities organized under CO-OP operate as cooperatives.

NCBA encourages those members interested in the CO-OP program to attend the meeting.  In addition, NCBA will post Mr. Hazen’s written testimony to its website on Jan. 13.

To attend the meeting online or by phone:   

•   Online Access: To participate in this meeting via the Internet, go to http://www.readyshow.com/ and enter participant code 78030350.
• Phone Access: To participate in this meeting via phone, please dial into the toll free phone number 1-877-366-0711, and enter the phone number password 78030350#.

 If you have questions, please contact me at 202-383-5447 or by e-mail at acumpston@ncba.coop.

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