PRESS RELEASE: Marilyn Moon to Receive 2014 Robert M. Ball Award

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), a non-profit, non-partisan organization made up of the nation's leading experts on social insurance, will present Marilyn Moon, Institute Fellow and Director of the Center on Aging at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), with the 2014 Robert M. Ball Award on Tuesday evening, June 3, 2014 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.  The annual award is presented to an individual whose recent work has made a significant impact on the U.S. social insurance system.

A nationally-known economist and highly-regarded expert on Medicare, aging, consumer health issues, and health care financing, Marilyn Moon is the 10^th recipient of the Robert M. Ball Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Insurance from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI).

"I am deeply honored that my colleagues at the Academy have chosen me to be the recipient of the 2014 Robert M. Ball award," said Moon. "It means a lot to receive an award named for Bob Ball who was a giant in the social insurance world and I am proud to join the distinguished group of recipients before me."

Currently, Marilyn Moon is an Institute Fellow at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the Director of AIR’s new Center on Aging. Moon was also Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Program at AIR from 2003-2013. Throughout her multi-faceted career as one of the preeminent scholars of Medicare policy, she has produced some of the most influential publications in this field, including Medicare Now and In the Future and Medicare: A Policy Primer. Her works, widely lauded and used by other experts, also serve as go-to guides for non-expert policymakers, educators, and students. From 1993 to 2000, Moon authored “The Patient’s Advocate,” a Washington Post column answering questions about health care reform and health insurance coverage issues.

"As we look ahead to the 50^th Anniversary of Medicare next year and to the future of Medicare,” said Bruce Vladeck, event co-chair and senior advisor at Nexera. “We can count on Marilyn Moon, with her piercing intellect and her gentle manner, to help us forge ahead. She’s achieved so much over the past three decades, but you won’t catch her sitting in an armchair. She will continue to quietly lead the way forward. It’s wonderful to finally have an opportunity to properly recognize Marilyn for her remarkable contributions.” Vladeck currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Medicare Rights Center.

The event will be attended by hundreds of policy, research, advocacy, and business leaders – most notably The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and The Honorable Bill Gradison of the Gradison Foundation – who share a common passion for strengthening social insurance and reflecting on its important role in providing economic security for all Americans and supporting a vibrant economy.