The Future of Public Health: What Will It Take to Keep Americans Healthy and Safe?

Symposium held May 10, 2005 at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia     

Moderated by Kristine Gebbie, DrPH, RN, Columbia School of Nursing

Panelists:

• C. Earl Fox, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH, Emory University
• James S. Marks, MD, MPH, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

This symposium brought together a panel of the nation's most prominent public health experts, each of whom has headed a major federal public health agency or office.  The panelists addressed the challenges facing public health in America and strategies for improving the system.  They discussed the following key issues:

• public health and society (interdependence, community, and aging)
• reaching the public to increase support for public health
• globalization of health care and global challenges
• the politics of public health
• spending on public health
• homeland security and public health

A DVD of the symposium will be available in July 2005.

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The Future of Medicaid: What Will Medicaid Look Like in 2010?

Symposium held May 12, 2004 at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Moderated by:

Diane Rowland, Sc.D.
Executive Vice President, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Executive Director, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured

Panelists:

• John Engler, J.D., Governor of Michigan from 1991-2003
• Nina Owcharenko, B.S., The Heritage Foundation
• Alan Weil, J.D., Urban Institute
• Joy Wilson, M.S., National Conference of State Legislatures

The distinguished panel assessed the continuing ability of Medicaid to serve its mission and tackled these questions:

• How will policy makers resolve the most contentious issues between the states and federal government?
• Does Medicaid need drastic reform?
• How will Medicaid change with Medicare reform?
• What new health care needs might we have to ask Medicaid to fill?
• Can Medicaid help to reduce the number of uninsured?

Materials available from the symposium:

• Supplement to Managed Care, vol. 13, no. 8 (August 2004)
• DVD that includes Diane Rowland’s full presentation of compelling statistics and the roundtable discussion organized by topics
• “Tough Questions, No Easy Answers: Tackling the Future of Medicaid,” 2004 Medicaid Symposium Supplement to the USP Bulletin

To order materials click here.

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The Future of Medicare: What Should Medicare Look Like in 2010

Symposium held May 14, 2003 at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Panel of Former HCFA Administrators:

• Gail R. Wilensky
• Bruce C. Vladeck
• Nancy-Ann DeParle

Moderated by Dr. Samuel O. Their

This symposium brought three immediate past administrators of the Healthcare Financing Administration (HCFA), now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, together on one panel for the first time.

The panelists were surprised to find themselves in agreement on many of the most pressing issues surrounding Medicare today, including the need to move from an acute model of care to a chronic care model, combining Medicare and Medicaid for elderly, low-income beneficiaries, requiring more attention to quality, and giving CMS more resources, more flexibility, and less legislative micromanagement.

Materials available from the symposium:

• Supplement to Managed Care (vol. 12, no. 9), September 2003
• DVD that presents the substance of the symposium organized about topics
• “Setting the Agenda: The Future of Medicare Presented at USP,” 2003 Medicare Symposium Supplement to the USP Bulletin

To order materials click here.

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Who Should Fund Medical Research?
The Roles of Government, Industry and Foundations

Symposium held September 20, 2002 at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Keynote Speaker:

Frank R. Lichtenberg, Ph.D.
Courtney C. Brown Professor of Business, Columbia University

Panelists

• Francis D. Chesley, Jr. M.D., Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Elaine K. Gallin, Ph.D., Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• John T. Kelly, Ph.D., Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

This symposium discussed the roles of government, industry, and foundations in funding biomedical research. Although source each has an important and defined role, gaps remain in the infrastructure. The symposium participants identified their concerns, including the lack of qualified investigators, administrative burdens, lack of attention to access to care and preventive services, and the need for collaboration among funders and other new approaches.

Article available from the symposium:

Field, Robert I., et al., “Toward a Policy Agenda on Medical Research Funding: Results of a Symposium,” Health Affairs, vol. 22, no. 3 (May/June 2003), 224-230.

To order materials click here.

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