Health Action 2013: Conference Agenda

Opening Plenary: The Road Ahead

Key leaders and health policy experts will provide a road map for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2013.

• Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
• Anton Gunn, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Rachel Klein, Enroll America
• Uwe Reinhardt, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
• Moderator: Ron Pollack, Families USA

Online Office Hours
Families USA 's online staff will be available to answer your online and social media queswtions. Sessions are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Luncheon Plenary: Federal Budget Priorities

A top White House official and Democratic leader of the House Budget Committee will discuss key priorities in the upcoming federal budget fight, including protecting health care for American families.

• Gene Sperling, National Economic Council
• Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
• Moderator: Ron Pollack, Families USA

Afternoon Plenary: Implementation Challenges and Opportunities for 2013

High-ranking officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide insight and advice for advocates on what to expect as states work to implement the Affordable Care Act in 2013. Our panel will discuss key issues regarding outreach and enrollment and how these tie into exchange implementation. 

• Gary Cohen, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO)
• Cindy Mann, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services
• Claire McAndrew, Families USA
• Moderator: Kathleen Stoll, Families USA

Morning Plenary: At a Crossroads: Health Care and Deficit Reduction

Experts on the federal budget will discuss what is at stake for health care in the upcoming budget deliberations in Congress. Our panel will also lay the groundwork for what steps advocates can take to ensure that our health care priorities are protected for years to come.

• Stan Collender, Qorvis Communications
• Bob Greenstein, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Diana Meredith, House Budget Committee, Democratic Staff
• Moderator: Jennifer Beeson, Families USA

Awards Luncheon: Consumer Health Advocates of the Year

The annual "Consumer Health Advocate of the Year" awards are presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions on behalf of our nation's health care consumers.

• Dede de Percin, Colorado Consumer Health Initiatives
• Liz Doyle, TakeAction Minnesota
• Jennifer Ng'andu, National Council of La Raza
• Moderator: Phil Villers, Families USA

Afternoon Plenary: Delivering on System Reform

Our panel of experts will discuss the challenges that our health system currently faces and the role that system reform will play in lowering health care costs while improving the quality of care, as well as the best ways health care advocates can plug into the process.  

• Shannon Brownlee, New America Foundation
• Jack Ebeler, Health Policy Alternatives
• Elliott Fisher, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice  
• Moderator: Kim Bailey, Families USA

Morning Plenary: The Impact of Social Media on Advocacy Campaigns

Our panelists will discuss how the new media environment is changing advocacy communication and how organizations can successfully mobilize their supporters and  target decision-makers.

• Mark Luckie, Twitter
• Matt Slutsky, Change.org
• Moderator: Alan Rosenblatt, Center for American Progress and CAP Action Fund

Luncheon & Closing Plenary: The Movement Goes Forward

Sister Simone Campbell will highlight the important role that health care advocates play in the social justice movement and will inspire us to keep fighting the good fight! 

• Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Lobby and Nuns on the Bus
• Moderator: L. Toni Lewis, SEIU Healthcare

*Invited

Notable Speakers from Past Conferences: Presidents Barack Obama & Bill Clinton; Vice President Al Gore; Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Surgeon Generals Regina Benjamin and David Satcher; Sens. Ted Kennedy, Paul Wellstone, Hillary Clinton, Gordon Smith, John Kerry, Debbie Stabenow, Tom Daschle, Ron Wyden, Sherrod Brown, Mark Warner; Reps. John Dingell, Xavier Becerra, Tom Allen, John Lewis, Stephanie Tubbs Jones; Gov. Howard Dean; Benjamin Jealous, CEO & President, NAACP; Uwe Reinhardt, Princeton University; Van Jones, Rebuild the Dream; and the list goes on and on.

This conference agenda is subject to change. Check back often for updates.