KU to host conference on Affordable Care Act

LAWRENCE — When President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called the Affordable Care Act, it represented the most significant regulatory overhaul of the U.S. health care system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

"The Affordable Care Act in Kansas: Impacts on People, Business and Providers" will be the topic of this year’s Kansas Economic Policy Conference on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Kansas Union.

This year's annual conference will feature panel discussions with policy analysts, academics, community leaders, hospital administrators and Kansas elected officials.

“The Affordable Care Act is a historic piece of legislation that is dramatically changing the nation’s healthcare system,” said Donna Ginther, professor of economics and director of the Center for Science, Technology & Economic Policy at KU. “It’s been four years since the law was passed, so we decided this year’s conference would be a great opportunity to analyze the law and focus on how it’s affecting Kansas citizens, businesses and providers.”

Keynote speakers include:

• Andy Allison, former director of Arkansas Medicaid
• Scott Brunner, senior analyst & strategy team leader, Kansas Health Institute
• Rep. Dave Crum, House Assistant Majority Leader, Kansas Legislature
• Arthur Daemmrich, associate professor of history and philosophy of medicine, KU School of Medicine
• Sandy Praeger, Kansas Insurance Commissioner

Panelists include:

• Matt All, senior vice president and general counsel, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Thomas Bell, president and CEO, Kansas Hospital Association
• Arthur Frable, CEO, Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital (Ulysses)
• Tami Gurley-Calvez, assistant professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, KU School of Medicine
• Dennis Lauver, president and CEO, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce
• Galen Pelton, president, Grant County Bank (Ulysses)

For Kansans who can’t make the trip to Lawrence, the conference will be broadcast live to a satellite location in Ulysses, courtesy of Pioneer Communications and the Grant County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.

Conference registration is $55.

The conference is presented by KU’s Institute for Policy & Social Research. IPSR has hosted the annual conference for more than 25 years, each year focusing on a particular policy issue. In recent years, the conference has covered topics such as immigration, education and the Kansas tax code.

MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS: Print and broadcast media are invited to cover the conference and asked to make arrangements with Joe Monaco, KU Office of Public Affairs, prior to the event.