April 23, 2015
A range of leading Medicare policy organizations take a fresh look at the importance of the program. Speakers take stock of challenges facing Medicare and discuss solutions from the perspective of beneficiaries.
The 50th anniversary of Medicare is an opportunity to celebrate the critical role this program has played in efficiently and effectively providing health and long-term care for millions of Americans: It is the bedrock of retirement security for older Americans, and its guarantee of coverage allows families and employers to devote resources to other personal and commercial priorities.
Medicare’s 50th anniversary is also an opportunity to look ahead at the challenges facing the program, which includes a growing disconnect between the policy discussions in Washington, D.C. and the current beneficiary (and future) experience — ever increasing out-of-pocket costs and a benefit package that sometimes fails to support current (and future) beneficiaries’ medical and social needs.
How can Medicare evolve for the better over the next 50 years? Such evolution would benefit older Americans, and perhaps to an even greater extent, today’s younger Americans just entering the workforce. Furthermore, innovations in Medicare often lead the way to changes in private-sector health insurance.
Join experts from a range of leading Medicare policy organizations for a fresh look at the importance of the program. Speakers will take stock of challenges facing Medicare and discuss solutions that make sense from the perspective of beneficiaries. Additionally, experts of public opinion will discuss current data on Americans’ views of Medicare, how policymakers might learn more about current and future beneficiaries’ priorities, and how gathering new information might drive important improvements in the program.
Who’s invited? Health and retirement security policymakers, researchers, advocates, journalists, consumers, grant-makers, health care delivery workers, insurers, and other industry stakeholders.
PROGRAM
Welcome
- Lee Goldberg, Vice President for Health Policy, National Academy of Social Insurance
- Lynn Friss Feinberg, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute, and Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Aging
Panel 1: Setting a Beneficiary-Oriented Agenda for Medicare: Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges
- Kevin Prindiville, Executive Director, Justice in Aging
- Joe Baker, President, Medicare Rights Center
- Judith Stein, Executive Director, Center for Medicare Advocacy
- Tricia Neuman, Senior Vice President, Kaiser Family Foundation (moderator)
Panel 2: What Beneficiaries Want for Medicare: Hearing From the Field
- Elizabeth Hamel, Director, Public Opinion and Survey Research at Kaiser Family Foundation
- Mathew Greenwald, President and CEO, Greenwald & Associates
- Andrew Scholnick, Senior Legislative Representative, AARP
- Murray Ross, Vice President, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Director, Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy (moderator)
Closing
- Murray Ross, Vice President, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Director, Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy
The American Society on Aging (ASA), San Francisco, Calif., is the largest nonprofit, multi-disciplinary, non-partisan membership organization of professionals in the field of aging. Founded in 1954, ASA’s mission is to develop leadership abilities, knowledge and skills to help professionals address the challenges and opportunities of a diverse aging society. Now in its 61st year of service to the field, ASA has more than 6,000 members, subscribers and stakeholders. For more information, visit www.asaging.org.
Throughout 2015, the National Academy of Social Insurance is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid with a series of special activities, including this symposium. Working with a variety of partners, the Academy is committed to providing the public and the policy community with a platform for educational dialogue around the history and future of these two vital programs. Learn more about the Academy’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, and stay tuned for additional events.
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