Monday, August 14

8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Medicaid Task Force

8:30 am - 3:30 pm

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Preconference Meeting: America's Health Care Saftey Net 

Medicaid Reform:  Lessons for TennCare? 

Tennessee's state health care plan, TennCare, has been a challenge to sustain almost form its inception.  It swept most state health funding into a single program.  Crises have been surmounted or stared down, and tenacious advocates have rescued it from apparent doom in the past, but today's program is significantly smaller than the original plan.  Other states have derived both cautionary lessons and inspiration from Tennessee's experiences.  This program presents a series of perspectives on Tennessee's Medicai program, past and future.

Tuesday, August 15

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Opening General Session

10:30 am - 3:30 pm
Federal Update and Consideration of NCSL Policies 

The committee will consider the following expiring policies:  Medicaid; Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome/HIV Infection; Social Security Disability Insurance; Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Performance Partnership.  The committee will consider new policies on:  health information technology and the reauthorization of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002.  Other policies may be considered at the request of NCSL members.

3:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Innovations in Health Information Technology

Rapid advances in health information technology can help states address a number of health needs and make health delivery systems more efficient.  This session will highlight innovations in the use of information technology and telemedicine related to primary care, rural health, hospital systems, and mental health to address a range of health needs, including workforce shortages. 

Music City Country Fair
Country Music Hall of Fame & Hall of Fame Park
Conference-Wide Social Event

Wednesday, August 16

6:30 am - 8:00 am

Walk for Wellness

Join state legislators from around the country for a 5K Fun Run/Walk at the NCSL Annual Meeting.  The Walk for Wellness is dedicated to raising awareness of the devastating effects conditions like heart disease, diabetes and obesity have for our nation as a whole, while drawing special attention to the health disparities that exist in minority and underserved communities.  Separate (free) registration is required for this event.  Link

***Buses will depart from the Gaylor Opryland Hotel at 6:30 am to take participants to the Gaylord Springs Golf Course.  The Walk for Wellness will begin at 6:45 am, and buses will return to the hotel at 8:00 am.***

Co-sponsored by the Health Committee, the National Black Causus of State Legislators, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators

General Session with Doris Kearns Goodwin 

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a world-renowned historian and author who has been reporting on politics and baseball for more than two decades. Her most recent book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, has been #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List and will be released as a feature film by Steven Spielberg late this year, with Liam Neeson as Lincoln.

NCSL Standing Committee on Health  
Lessons from the Massachusetts Universal Health Model

Massachusetts passed sweeping legislation this year toward its goal of universal insurance coverage.  Supported overwhelmingly in the legislature, the plan contains elements that both liberals and conservatives can embrace.  This session will examine the various elements of the Massachusetts plan, the politics involved, and what other states may learn from the effort.

Speakers:  Edmund Haislmaier, Research Fellow, Health Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation
Senator Richard T. Moore, Massachusetts

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm 

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm 

Can Information Technology Save Our Health Care System?
Concurrent Session

Visionaries believe that information technology is key to creating a health care system that will keep care affordable for all.   Information technology can save costs, improve quality, and provide transparency that leads to greater accountability.  Experience in New Orleans after Katrina showed the value of an electronic trail for recreating records after a disaster.  So why hasn't adoption been rapid and uniform?  Obstacles include a mismatch between costs and benefits, concerns about privacy and the need for uniform definitions and data standards.  Hear about the problems, and the promise. 

Sugar Suspension:  The Healthy New Direction of Snacking at School
Concurrent Session

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Beverage Association announced a breakthrough agreement for healthier school beverages in May to benefit America's 35 million school-age children. Come learn about the deal, what's on the horizon in healthy eating efforts, and this important example of industry- public health collaboration.

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and the States
Concurrent Session

Even with the Medicare Part D Program underway, states continue to play important roles in prescription drug coverage for millions of low-income people.  In addition to supplementing the new federal coverage, many states are modifying their State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs and making adjustments to Medicaid and other Rx programs.

Prescription Drug Discounts: 340B to Consumer Cards

For the 40+ million Americans not on Medicare or comprehensive private insurance, access to prescription drugs remains a visible concern.  The federal 340B drug discount program provides one significant option - including a quickly expanding network of clinics and pharmacies in every state.  At the same time industry assistance cards and new state discount laws keep pharmaceuticals near the top of policymakers' priority lists.

A Taste of the Bay State: Massachusetts Event 
Conference-Wide Social Event

Thursday, August 17

6:30 am - 8:00 am

Second Annual NCSL Bi-Partisan Bike Ride

For the second year in a row, legislators, spouses and staff will have the
option of participating in a 10-mile, leisurely NCSL Bi-Partisan Bike Ride.
Free loaner helmets and bicycles will be provided on a first-come,
first-served basis. For more information, contact the Texas Bicycle
Coalition.

Immunizations: What's New?  Who Gets Them?  Who Pays? Concurrent Session

Thanks to public health immunization efforts, scourges like polio, small pox, measles, and mumps are (mostly) a fear from the past.  What's on the vaccine horizon?  Can we prevent cancer?  Avian Flu?  What about the cost, saftey and dealing with shortages?  States determine immunization requirements and they foot the bill for millions of people.  Come find out what's new.

NCSL Business Meeting 

NCSL delegates conduct NCSL business including taking final action on policies proposed by the NCSL Standing Committees.  NCSL Standing Committee on Health members are urged to attend.

Healthy Children: An Ounce of Prevention ...
Concurrent Session

Can states achieve a "pound of cure" down the road by improving prenatal care and child health and development activities in Medicaid, SCHIP, public health strategies, mental health, and other early intervention programs?  Come and learn what the experts say and what some states have accomplished.

Concurrent Session

An abundance of state legislation to control manufacture and use of methamphetamine has included tough sentencing and new regulations on over-the-counter substances.  States now are exploring next steps in protecting communities from the variety of dangers associated with the drug. This session will look at the latest and most effective state efforts in community education, treatment and approaches to protect children, law enforcement, property owners and the environment. 

Speaker:  Neal Halfon, MD, MPH, Director, UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, Los Angeles, California

Tennessee Center Stage
Starring LeAnn Rimes
Conference-Wide Social Event

Friday, August 18

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Frank Luntz is one of the most honored communications professionals in America today. Named one of the four Top Research Minds by Business Week magazine, he pioneered the Instant Response focus group research technique, and won an Emmy Award in 2001 for his 100 Days, 1000 Voices segments on NBC's primary and election night coverage.

Special Briefings

ABC's of Emergency Preparedness: Avian Flu, Bioterrorism, and other Calamities

With this year's record hurricane season, high-profile concern about a potential avian flu pandemic and lingering fears of bioterrorism, emergency planning remains a top priority for states.  This session reviews lessons learned from recent natural disasters and covers current plans to prevent the spread of avian flu as an example of public health preparedness.

Moderator:  Angela Monson, Past NCSL President (02-03), Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Speakers:  Admiral John O. Agwunobi, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
Kathryn Condello, Cristical Infrastructure Protection Program, George Mason University of School of Law, Arlington, Virginia
Ron Wilson, State Veterinarian, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Nashville, Tennessee
Senator Richard Moore, Massachusetts 

State Retiree Liabilities:  Pensions & Retiree Health Care

Unfunded state pension liabilities and rising health care costs for state retirees are major issues for state legislators.  In addition, beginning in 2007, states must account for non-pension liabilities in their budgets. At least one bond rating firm has said if they don't, states could damage their bond ratings.  Learn what states can do to address these issues.