Conference Highlights & Resources

Tell Me About the Affordable Care Act. GO!

Comprehensive overview of the key parts of the Affordable Care Act -- Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, National Physicians Alliance

Health on the Horzion: the Power of Personal Stories in Making the Case for Reform -- Holly Dolan, Blogger and 2012 Georgeanne Koehler Activist of the Year Award Winner

What’s the Affordable Care Act all about? What does it do to lower insurance costs? What does it do to offer coverage to those who don’t have it now? How will it affect — either positively or negatively — the people in my life that I care most about? Is it going to lift a burden from me or put one on me? Is it really going to work like people think it will? These are the questions on folks’ minds about our new law — and if we can’t communicate the answers in a way that’s clear, accurate and reassuring, we won’t be successful in building the kind of grassroots support necessary to protecting and implementing the law. This workshop teaches participants how to talk about the Affordable Care Act in terms that build real understanding and support among the general public. You will leave this workshop confident in your understanding of the new law, and your ability to talk about it effectively with people in your community.

Health Care and the Pennsylvania State Budget

PowerPoint and notes still to come

Governor Tom Corbett has proposed a state budget that once again makes deep cuts to health and human services for seniors, children, and people with disabilities.  Hear from a panel of health and budget experts just what the Governor's plan will mean for hospitals, nursing facilities and community providers - and the people whose health and wellbeing depends on having access to their services. Moderated by Sharon Ward, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.

How You Can Make the Promise of Health Reform Real for Women

Making the Promise Real for Women -- Rebecca Foley, Raising Women's Voices

Health reform addresses many of the challenges women face in our broken health care system, yet enacting reform that meets women's needs has seen both highs and lows.  This workshop will examine what women have gained in health reform, what obstacles they have faced, and how to move forward with implementation issues at the state and federal levels.  Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from and interact with dynamic speakers who have been working vigorously to protect women's health throughout the on-going health reform fight and beyond.

12:00pm: Lunchtime Plenary - The Supreme Court & What's At Stake in 2012

The Affordable Care Act's Day in Court: Questions Before the Supreme Court -- Marc Steinberg, Families USA

Supreme Court Central

A discussion of the late March Supreme Court arguments on the constitutionality of federal and what consumer advocates need to be doing now and after the decision. 

1:30 PM - Afternoon Workshops

Million Dollar Questions: Key Issues In Establishing Exchanges

What an exchange can do for Pennsylvania -- Dave Chandra, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Four principles for establishing a health insurance exchange in Pennsylvania -- Kristen Dama, Community Legal Services

As Pennsylvania works to establish a health insurance marketplace, how will its policies and operation work best for individuals, families and small business owners? This workshop explores the most critical concerns around the marketplace's establishment including its governance structure and administration, rules governing carrier participation in the Exchange, the interaction between the Exchange and the state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs, and the type and level of customer service that the Exchange will need to provide.

The Devil is in the Details: The Exchange, Subsidies, and Benefits Packages

Making Premium Credits Work -- Tara Straw, Health Care for America Now (watch a video presentation of the slideshow here).

High-quality and low-cost health insurance are frequently mentioned by all stakeholders in federal health reform. States, like Pennsylvania will have great flexibility in establishing minimal benefits for plans sold in the new marketplace, and implementing the mechanisms consumers will use to purchases those plans with their premium tax credits. Learn what is being done to ensure Pennsylvanians really do have high-quality, low-cost options in 2014.

Medicaid and the Exchange: Connecting the Pathways to Coverage 

PowerPoint and notes still to come

As 2014 approaches, Pennsylvania is contemplating the required steps to successfully integrate their Medicaid program and the new health insurance Exchange. There are many considerations: eligibility and enrollment processes, benefit design, and consumer outreach and inclusion. Seamless integration is critical for populations transitioning between programs to ensure continuity of care and good health. This workshop will address key policy considerations when integrating Medicaid and the Exchange as well as best practices for building consumer support and broad-based coalitions for successful integration.

3:00 PM - 4:15 PM Closing Plenary - Anticipating the Unknown Public Exchange Marketplace

POSTPONED due to small fire at the hotel! We'll be holding this as a policy call in the month of May, date still TBD. Thank you for your flexibility! 

Exchanges continue to be one of the most pressing health care reform implementation issues.  Despite strong interest in a state-based exchange, no establishment legislation has advanced through the Pennsylvania General Assembly.  Joel Ario is the former Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner and served as the Director of the Office of Health Insurance Exchanges at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Region III Director for Health and Human Services, Joanne Grossi, also has a prior background in Pennsylvania serving as Governor Rendell's Deputy Secretary of Health and then as the first-ever Director of the Office of Women's Services. Mr. Ario and Director Grossi will discuss exchange development and implementation issues that affect how consumers find and sign up for coverage.