May 15, 2006
Select sessions of this event are available via archived video web cast.
AGENDA
8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00am Opening Speaker: Pamela J. Larson, Executive Vice President, National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)
Medicare’s Political and Financial Future
An archived video web cast of this session is available by clicking on the link above. Please note that you must have Real Player installed to view the web cast.
A discussion of the political and financial pressures on Medicare due to rising health care costs and growth in the population of beneficiaries. An accompanying NASI Brief will explain the 2006 Medicare Trustees report.
– Susan Foote, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota (Moderator)
– Marilyn Moon, Vice President and Director of Health Care, American Institutes for Research
– Lawrence Jacobs, Joan and Walter F. Mondale Chair for Political Studies and Director, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance
10:00am Medicare Part D: The Prescription Drug Benefit
An archived video web cast of this session is available by clicking on the link above. Please note that you must have Real Player installed to view the web cast. Once the web cast appears on your player, fast forward to 1:13:30 into the session.
A discussion of implementation issues and the role of private health plans in Medicare Part D
A National Progress Report
– Bob Rosenblatt, Journalist and Senior Fellow at National Academy of Social Insurance
How has the enrollment process and transition worked in Minnesota?
– Brian Osberg, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services
– Peter Wyckoff, Metro Region Director, Minnesota Senior Federation
– Steve Schondelmeyer, Professor and Director, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota
– Representative, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (invited)
11:30am Luncheon Address
Introduction
– Skip Humphrey, President of AARP Minnesota
The Challenges of Providing a Drug Benefit for Medicare Beneficiaries: An Insurer’s Perspective
– Lois Quam, CEO of Ovations, UnitedHealth Group
1:00pm The Changing Health Insurance Safety-Net
– Donna Zimmerman, VP for Governmnet and Community Relations, HealthPartners (moderator)
– Holly Rodin, Senior Field Researcher, Service Employees International Union
– Dale Yamamoto, Principal, Hewitt Associates
– Stephen T. Parente, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesotra Carlson School of Management
2:30pm Coffee Break
2:45pm Debating the Future of Health Care Costs and Coverage Overall
An archived video web cast of this session is available by clicking on the link above. Please note that you must have Real Player installed to view the web cast. Once the web cast appears on your player, fast forward to 23:30 into the session.
– Keith Halleland, Founding Partner, Halleland, Lewis, Nilan & Johnson (moderator)
– Roger Feldman, Blue Cross Professor of Health Insurance, University of Minnesota
– Marilyn Moon, Vice President and Director of Health Care, American Institutes for Research
– Former Senator David Durenberger, Chair, National Institute of Health Policy (discussant)
Closing Remarks Lawrence Jacobs
About this Event:
Medicare is a lifeline to millions of Americans and a third rail of American politics. The program has consistently enjoyed a high level of public support despite perennial allusions to “bankruptcy” and the addition of a prescription drug benefit characterized by widespread confusion. But, the world around Medicare is rapidly changing.
“Reforming Medicare” brings together policy-makers and national and Minnesotan experts to assess the progress of Medicare Part D on the final day of the enrollment period. The conference will examine Medicare’s larger financial and political future and the upcoming challenges facing Medicare and near-retirees.
The event is co-sponsored by NASI and the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Funding for the seminar is provided in part by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
**Registration and Cost**
The cost for the conference is $20. To register for this event, please send your name, address, and telephone number to cspg@hhh.umn.edu by May 9. Registration fees will be accepted at the door in the form of cash or check