Work requirements? 1115 waivers? Medicaid for all? In this online seminar moderated by Lex Frieden, Connie Gardner and Jean Hall discussed the future of the Medicaid program, especially as it pertains to people with disabilities. Slides and a complete transcript of presentation audio are available.
All Powerpoint slides can be downloaded here (PDF).
A full transcript of the audio of the presentation can be downloaded here (PDF).
Connie Garner, M.S. draws on decades of legislative, health, government agency, and consulting work to help clients develop strategies to address disability and education issues. Widely recognized for her leadership and advocacy, Connie has impacted policy on a national level. For 17 years, she was Policy Director for Disability and Special Populations to the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), where she worked with the late Senator Kennedy and former Senators Chris Dodd and Tom Harkin. In that position, she directed or significantly contributed to efforts to draft and enact important federal legislation, including the CLASS Act, the major long-term care legislation that is part of the Affordable Care Act; the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008; the 2006 and 2009 reauthorization of the $2 billion Ryan White CARE Act; the Family Opportunity Act of 2006; the 2005 reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and the 1999 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. In addition, at the US Department of Education, Connie served as Director of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council for Children with Disabilities and as the secretary of education's principal liaison on interagency health care matters.
Jean P. Hall, PhD is the director of the Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies at the University of Kansas and professor in the University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Health Policy and Management. Dr. Hall received her PhD in Disability Studies and has an extensive background in the evaluation of health care programs, especially for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Dr. Hall has published numerous scholarly articles in such journals as Inquiry, American Journal of Managed Care, Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Disability and Health Journal, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Health Care Financing Review, and American Journal of Health Promotion. Her research has been cited in numerous national media including the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC News, BusinessWeek and Health Affairs.
Dr. Hall's research has included private, state, and federal projects related to health care and employment for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses in the employment, Medicaid, Medicare and high-risk pool systems. One of her current projects, funded by the National Institute on Disablity, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, focuses on the effects of coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act on individuals with disabilities, using national surveys and interviews. A priority of her research is to give voice to people with disabilities and their experiences with the health care system.
Lex Frieden is Professor of Health Informatics and Rehabilitation at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He also directs the Independent Living Research Utilization Program (ILRU) at TIRR Memorial Hermann. Frieden has served as chairperson of the National Council on Disability, president of Rehabilitation International, and chairperson of the American Association of People with Disabilities. He is recognized as one of the founders of the independent living movement by people with disabilities. He was instrumental in conceiving and drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Frieden currently serves on the board of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO).