By Amy Snow Landa and Jacque Seaman
As the Republican-led Congress takes its first steps this week toward repealing the Affordable Care Act, several hundred health care leaders, industry insiders and policy experts are preparing to gather at the seventh annual Washington State of Reform Health Policy Conference Jan. 5 to discuss what it all means.
As usual, this year’s Washington State of Reform conference features an impressive line-up of keynote speakers and panelists.
At one end of the political spectrum, James Capretta, who holds the Milton Friedman Chair at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, will deliver the morning keynote. In the afternoon, three Democrats – Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.), former Gov. John Kitzhaber (Ore.) and former Gov. Martin O’Malley (Md.) — will offer their perspectives on the role states could play in health care policy when the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
In between, there will be approximately two-dozen breakout sessions featuring high-caliber panelists from across the health care industry and the political realm. They’ll discuss topics ranging from rising drug costs and value-based care to health care workforce issues, the social determinants of health and the opioid crisis.
As members of The Fearey Group’s health care and life sciences practice, we have been looking forward to attending this important event. We invite you to check back later this week for our key takeaways from the conference.