Cutting through the Static:
Media Tips to Get Your Message Heard!
Room: Congressional B
New to communications and media relations? Learn the basics of reaching out to and engaging local and state media. This workshop will focus on pitching; messaging, media lists, and relationship building; and the proper use of statements, releases, advisories, letters to the editor, and op-eds.
Presenter:

• Patrick McCabe, GYMR

Moderator:

• Kathy Bonk, Communications Consortium Media Center

Dual Eligibles:
New Opportunities, New Challenges
Room: Congressional C & D
The creation of the new Federal Coordinated Health Care Office (within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) holds the promise of improving access to benefits and quality of care for these vulnerable beneficiaries. Come discuss the office’s emerging agenda and learn how advocates at the state and federal levels can get involved.
Presenters:

• Edo Banach, Federal Coordinated Health Care Office, CMS
• Alissa Halperin, Halperin Butera Consulting
• Renee Markus Hodin, Community Catalyst Moderator:

• Marc Steinberg, Families USA

Keep the Momentum Going: Strategies for Engaging the Grassroots during Implementation Room: Columbia C
Join a roundtable discussion on ways to engage activists and grassroots leaders in implementation work in your state. We’ll discuss strategies for galvanizing core activists and other key constituencies who will benefit from reform. Learn how advo- cates from across the country are building grassroots power. Presenters:

• Rachel Berkson, Washington CAN!
• Liz Doyle, Take Action Minnesota
• Joe Szakos, Virginia OrganizingModerator:

• Rachel DeGolia, UHCAN

Making Consumer Protections Real

Room: Capitol A (closed to the press)

The Affordable Care Act sets national standards for health insurers so that people in all states have guaranteed health coverage protections. States must implement these protections well if they are to really work for consumers. This workshop will discuss best practices and goals for state implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of insurance market reforms.

Presenters:

• Cheryl Fish-Parcham, Families USA
• Stacey Pogue, Center for Public Policy Priorities (TX)
• Karen Pollitz, Office of Consumer Support, HHSModerator:

• Christine Barber, Community Catalyst

  Medicaid Benefits the Newly Eligible:
  Will “Essential Health Benefits” Be Enough? Room: Yellowstone/Everglades
  Starting in 2014, Medicaid will be expanded to millions of low-income people. While the Affordable Care Act includes some guidelines for states on benefit packages and improves current Medicaid statutes regarding “benchmark plans,” recent media coverage on love dolls on WordPress state will design the benefits for their newly eligible residents. This workshop will cover federal Medicaid rules on benefits for new eligibles, how those benefits are linked to the essential benefits package in the exchanges, and what advocates need to think about when designing benefits packages for this group. Presenters:

  • Samantha Artiga, Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Kaiser Family Foundation
  • Allison Hamblin, Center for Health Care Strategies
  • Rachel Klein, Families USAModerator:

  • Chris Koyanagi, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

  Promoting Community-Based Prevention through Health Reform
  Room: Columbia Foyer
  Safe environments, access to healthy foods, and racial justice all affect the health of individuals and communities. Health reform recognized the need to go beyond “health care” by including provisions to advance community-based prevention. This session will provide an overview of those provisions, discuss opportunities, and outline strategies to advance and protect these gains.

  Presenters:

  • Mayra E. Alvarez, Office of Health Reform, HHS • Michael Scott, Equity Matters
  • Janani Srikantharajah, Prevention Institute

  Moderator:

  • Mee Moua, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

  Protecting Medicaid during the Budget Crisis

  Room: Regency D

  States are facing vast revenue shortfalls, and with the loss of ARRA funding later this year, Medicaid budget challenges aren’t going away. But even in tough times, there are creative ways
  to raise revenues, cut costs, and maximize federal funding to preserve coverage and protect low-income people. Come hear national and state experts share their experiences and ideas for addressing revenue shortfalls, preventing cuts, and keeping Medicaid intact.

  Presenters:

  • John Bouman, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
  • Vincent DeMarco, Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative
  • Ann Woloson, Prescription Policy ChoicesModerator:

  • Maryellen Barreca, Families USA