Health Program and Health Committee Sessions
Presentations and Handouts

NCSL Annual Meeting
Boston, Massachusetts
August 5-9, 2007

NCSL's Health Programs offered dynamic sessions on hot topics such as mental health, health care reform, school wellness, and women's health. The Health Committee sponsored a luncheon on Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention featuring former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

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Sunday, August 5, 2007

Prisoner Re-entry and Heatlh
8:00 am- 12:00 pm

Forum for State Health Policy Leadership

Examine Massachusetts' efforts to provide continuity of care for ex-offenders many of whom suffer from chronic diseases and mental health and substance abuse problems-after they leave jail or prison. The goal is to help them stay healthy and slow the rate of recidivism.

Presiding:  Representative Gloria Fox, Massachusetts; Vice Chair Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus

Speakers:

• Douglas Lomax, Substance Abuse Treatment Coordinator, Boston Municipal Court Department, Massachusetts
• Henrie Treadwell, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia
• David Wohl, MD, University of North Carolina, Co-Director of HIV Services for the Department of Corrections, North Carolina [ Presentation]

*NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved at the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine for this preconference.

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Project HITCh
8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Forum for State Health Policy Leadership

Meeting of health information technology champions, Project HITCh partners, and steering committee. Review introductions to HIT for legislators.

Presiding:  Joe Flores, Sentate Finance Committee, Virginia
                Senator Richard Moore, Massachuetts

Speakers:

• Ray Campbell, III, Executive Director and CEO, Massachusetts Health Data Consortium [ Presentation]
• Michy Tripathi, PhD, MPP, Presid4ent and CEO, Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative [Presentation]

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Mental Health Treatment: Balancing Help for  the Individual and the Community (luncheon program)
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Health Committee

Are the current mechanisms of screening and entry into mental health treatment adequate to meet society's needs and protect the individual? This session examined best practices and aid state legislators in crafting legislation to revise their state systems.

Presiding:  Mark Andrews, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, Utah

Speakers:

• Joanna Locke, MD The Jed Foundation, New York [ Presentation ]
• Dale Masi, PhD, President/CEO, Masi Research Consultants, Inc., Massachusetts [ Presentation ]
• A. Kathryn Power, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Maryland

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Federal Update and NCSL Health Policy Consideration
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Health Committee

Update on key pieces of health legislation pending before the Congress; reviewed recent proposed and final regulations; and key health-related cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Presiding:  Senator Gary Dillon, Indiana

Speakers:

• Joy Johnson-Wilson, NCSL [ Presentation]

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Monday, August 6, 2007

Health Disparities … What States Can Do
8:30 am - 10:15 am

Health Committee

Discussed important information for reducing disparities in health, including examples of successful programs.

Presiding:  Rául  Burciaga, Legislative Council Service, New Mexico

Speakers:

• Linda Holmes, Executive Director, Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, New Jersey [ Presentation]
• Michelle Proser, National Association of Community Health Centers, Maryland  [ Presentation]
• Elena Rios, President/CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association, Washington D.C.

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Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention (Luncheon featuring Michael Dukakis)
12:15 pm - 2:45 pm

Health Committee

The session discussed substance abuse issues and steps states can take to improve their alcohol and drug prevention and treatment programs. 

Presiding:  Senator Gary Dillon, Indiana

Speakers:

• Adam Brooks, Treatment Research Institute, Pennsylvania [ Presentation]
• Michael Dukakis, former Governor of Massachusetts and professor, Northeastern University, Massachusetts [ Presentation]
• Representative Pat George, Kansas

*NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of AstraZeneca for lunch.

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Achieving Pharmaceutical Access: The Roles of Disclosure and Privacy
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 

Health Committee

Most Americans rely on the private market for their medicines. This session examined two hotly-debated prescription drug policies facing states and pharmacists. First, should states set standards for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), the middlemen that negotiate prices and transactions for 200 million Americans? Second, should prescription records identifying doctors or patients be available for marketing purposes by industry professionals?

Welcome:   Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Texas, President, NCSL

Presiding: Senator Durell Peaden, Florida

Speakers: 

• Donna Boswell, Hogan & Hartson LLP, Washington, D.C. [ Presentation]
• Barbara Levy, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, Washington D.C. [ Presentation]
• Mark Riley, National Community Pharmacists Association, Arkansas [ Presentation]
• Representative Cinfy Rosenwald, New Hampshire[ Presentation]

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Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Health Care Reform Challenge:  Expand Access,  Control Costs and Deliver High Quality, Comprehensive Coverage?
10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Health Committee

Controlling health care costs and ensuring affordable premiums and cost-sharing are key components of a successful plan to expand access. Review key strategies to keep costs down and look at how insurance companies price their products.

Presiding:  Assemblymember Herb Conaway, New Jersey

Speakers: 

• Meredith Belk, AMERICGROUP Community Care, Texas [ Presentation]
• Michael Cernew, Professor, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts [ Presentation]
• Jon Kingsdale, Executive Director, Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, Massachusetts [ Presentation]
• Cori Uccello, American Academy of Actuaries, Washington, D.C. [ Presentation]

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Fit or Flabby? Fresh or Fatty? - School Wellness Legislation
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

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State Health Reform: A Universal or Incremental Approach?
3:15 pm - 5:00 pm 

Massachusetts and Vermont passed laws last year to change their health care systems with an emphasis on covering all of the uninsured. Is the movement reaching beyond New England? What is happening in the world of health care reform? 

Presiding:  Helen Palmer, Marketplace, Massachusetts

Speakers:

• Susan Besio, Director of Health Reform Implementation, State of Vermont [ Presentation]
• Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, Massachusetts
• Senator Patricia Miller, Indiana [ Presentation]
• Marian Mulkey, California Healthcare Foundation, California

Additional Resources:
Comparison Health Reform Proposals [ Download PDF Version]

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Health Chairs/CHAP Tea
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Forum for State Health Policy Leadership

An opportunity for CHAP members and health committee chairs to meet each other and ask more questions of speakers from the previous session as they discuss their own plans for the upcoming year.

Presiding:  Representative Peter Koutoujian, Massachusetts

Speakers:

• Christie Hager, Office Of Speaker, House of Representatives, Massachusetts
• Senator Patricia Miller, Indiana
• Marian Mulkey, California Healthcare Foundation, California

*NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation for this reception.

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Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The State of Children's Health
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

2007 is the State Children's Health Insurance Program's (SCHIP) 10th anniversary and state policymakers await the outcome of the congressional reauthorization debate. In recent months, state legislators and governors across the country are taking the challenge to close the final gaps. What has expanded access to health care meant for the nation’s children? Can we close the final gaps? What will happen if we don't?

Presiding:  Senator Gary Dillon, Indiana

Speakers:

• Thomas Barker, Office of the Secretary, I.S. Department of Health and human Services, Washington D.C.
• Joyce Johnson-Wilson, NCSL [ Presentation]
• Robin Rudowitz, Kaiser Commission for Medicaid and the Uninsured, Washington D.C. [ Presentation ]

*Sponsored by the NCSL Health Committee

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Health Information Transformation
2:45 pm - 4:15 pm

Forum for State Health Policy Leadership

Has the promised revolution in health information arrived? State challenges include rethinking licensing in a networked environment, protecting privacy and deciding who will foot the bill.

Presiding: Assemblyman Herb Conaway [Presentation]

Speakers:

• John D. Halamka, CIO of Harvard Medical School and Chair of HITSP
  [ Presentation]
• Laura L. Adams, President and CEO Rhode Island Quality Institute [ Presentation]  

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Women's Health Across the Lifespan
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

A stimulating presentation from women's health guru Dr. Wanda Jones and information from major organizations addressing heart disease, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis. Find out why you matter for women's health!

Presiding:  Senator Joan Menard, Massachusetts

Speakers:

• Roberta Biegel, National Osteoporosis Foundation, Washington D.C.
• Jill Birnbaum, American Heart Association, Texas
• Dr. Wanda Jones, U.S. Department of Health and human Services, Washington D.C.
• Lori Laffel, MD, MPH Joslin Diabetes Clinic, Massachusetts
• Christy Schmidt, American Cancer Society, Massachusetts

*Cosponsored by the Women's Legislative Network and the NCSL Health Program

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Thursday, August 9, 2007

Is Adolescent Risk-Taking All in Their Heads?
10:15 am - 12:15 pm

Learn about the newest science in adolescent brain development and how it explains teen risk-taking. Policymakers can respond more effectively with a better understanding of how teens tick.

Presiding:  Representative Ro Foege, Iowa

Speakers:

• Kyle Ali, Youth Ambassador, NYOS, Virginia  [ Presentation]  
• Claire Brindis, University of California [ Presentation]  
• Ken Winters, Director, Center for Adolescent Research and Substance Abuse, University of Minnesota [ Presentation]  

*Cosponsored by the Education Committee, the Health Committee, Human Services and Welfare Committee, the Law and Criminal Justice Committee, and the Transportation Committee.

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Long-Term Care in a Time of Change
10:15 am - 12:15 pm

This session discussed how to reshape long-term care through Medicaid and the provider marketplace. The Deficit Reduction Act gives states new options for providing community long-term care services and connecting Medicare and Medicaid. States can work with providers and the private sector to set up new types of community services. Learn how to create successful options.

Presiding:  Representative Elizabeth Poirier, Massachusetts

Speakers:

• Mike Cheek, NCB Capital Impact, Virginia  [ Presentation]  
• Susan Reinhardt, Director, AARP, Washington D.C.  [ Presentation]
• Rachel Richards, Director, Office of Long Term Care, Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs [ Presentation]
• Larry Tisdale, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare [ Presentation]  

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Other Annual Meeting Sessions

• Children Youth and Families
• Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee
• Education
• State Fiscal
• Transportation Committee