Demystifying Medicare: 2015 Summer Academy

Thursday, July 23, 2015 | 8:30AM – 5:00PM
Kaiser Family Foundation | Barbara Jordan Conference Center
1330 G Street, NW | Washington, DC
#Medicare15

Registration for this event is closed and will be available on-site.

8:30 AM  REGISTRATION, CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST, NETWORKING

9:00 AM  WELCOME

• Jewel Edwards, Digital Content and Communications Associate, National Academy of Social Insurance
• Elizabeth Hall, Vice President of Federal Affairs, Anthem, Inc.

9:10 AM  OPENING SESSION – Why is Medicare important?

Why is Medicare a program that matters to everyone?

• Len Nichols, Director, Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics (CHPRE) and Professor of Health Policy, George Mason University

9:30 AM  SESSION I – Medicare: How does it work?

Medicare is a multifaceted program, but what does it cover, who pays for it and who receives benefits? What are the characteristics of the typical Medicare enrollee? How is the program structured?

• Jane Sung, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute
• Howard Shapiro, Director of Public Policy, Alliance of Community Health Plans
• Stacy Sanders, Federal Policy Director, Medicare Rights Center
• Moderator: Jared Hite, AcademyHealth, 2015 NASI Summer Intern
• Q&A

10:30 AM  BREAK/NETWORKING

10:45 AM  SESSION II – Medicare: How big is the financing problem?

The Medicare program has been running an annual deficit since 2008, so how much trouble is the program really in? Why are program revenues and expenditures out of balance? How big is the shortfall and how much will it take to close the long-term funding gap? What are beneficiaries already paying, what is being proposed to increase their costs, and what is realistic, given current and projected future retiree incomes?

• Jack Ebeler, Consultant
• Tricia Neuman, Senior Vice President, Kaiser Family Foundation
• Moderator: Trudel Pare, MEDPAC, 2015 NASI Summer Intern
• Q&A

11:45 AM   LUNCH

12:15 PM   INTERACTIVE POLICY EXERCISE – Medicare CHAT (Part I)

Use your experiences, beliefs, and values to create your own Medicare plan. What will you choose to do when high health care costs threaten the program’s sustainability for taxpayers and beneficiaries?

• Moderator: Kristine Quinio, National Academy of Social Insurance

1:45 PM  SESSION III – Delivery and Payment System Reforms + Other Innovations Shaping the Future of Medicare

Transformational changes are underway in Medicare and in private health coverage. How can these changes improve the experience for Medicare beneficiaries and health consumers overall? Are we getting to what consumers want: lower costs, a genuine partnership with providers, including easy, 24 hours a day communications, a genuine emphasis on health instead of just healthcare, and easy to understand, actionable information that is readily available, e.g., on handheld devices? 

• Kate Goodrich, MD, Director of Quality Measurement and Health Assessment Group, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Ted Eytan, MD, Medical Director, Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health and Director, The Permanente Federation, LLC
• Moderator: Zizi Yu, Long-Term Quality Alliance, 2015 NASI Summer Intern
• Q&A

2:45 PM  BREAK/NETWORKING

3:00 PM   POLICY DISCUSSION – Medicare CHAT (Part II)

Hold your own policy briefing. Report back on your plan for the future of Medicare.

• Moderator: Kristine Quinio, National Academy of Social Insurance

4:00 PM  SESSION IV – Looking Ahead: Playing a role in the future of Medicare

Many different professionals play an important role in the successful administration and evolution of Medicare. What role might you play? Speakers will share stories about their career paths and what kinds of Medicare issues they tackle.

• Judy Feder, Professor, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
• Daniel Maclauchlan, Director of Regulatory Affairs, UnitedHealth Group
• Alex Keeton, Deputy Director, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) 
• Paula Stannard, Counsel, Alston & Bird, LLP 

• Moderator: Ben Scribner, Altarum Institute, 2015 NASI Summer Intern

• Q&A

5:00 PM WRAP-UP AND DOOR PRIZES

• Chrissy Steigelman, NASI, 2015 NASI Summer Intern