The deep recession and rising unemployment are forcing more Americans from their jobs and their job-based health insurance -- increasing the pressure on public programs to fill the gap at a time when slumping tax revenues are driving many state governments into budget crises. At 9:30 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6, the Kaiser Family Foundation will host a briefing to examine the toll the recession is taking on families and their health care and the implications of the recession for Medicaid and broader health reform efforts.

The briefing, “Rising Health Pressures in an Economic Recession,” will feature a new report and companion video that focuses on the experiences of families, employers, safety-net providers and community organizations in four U.S. communities hard hit by the recession. The briefing also will include an update on the challenges facing state Medicaid programs, how state Medicaid directors are handling state budget pressures, increased caseloads and federal stimulus assistance, and how the state directors anticipate federal health reform might affect their programs.

Robin Rudowitz, Principal Policy Analyst, Kaiser Family Foundation, will present key research findings and Diane Rowland, Executive Vice-President, Kaiser Family Foundation and Executive Director, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, will serve as moderator. Offering perspective will be a diverse panel of experts, including:

• Art Kellerman, physician and professor of emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta;
• Barbara Edinberg, assistant director, Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, Bridgeport, Conn.;
• Cindy Mann, director, Center for Medicaid and State Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
• Joan Henneberry, executive director, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.
  

WHEN:
Thursday, August. 6, 2009, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET (Registration and breakfast at 9 a.m.)
Add this Event to your Outlook Calendar (Note: Event times are E.S.T.)

WHERE:
Barbara Jordan Conference Center (Kaiser Family Foundation Office)
1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC (one block west of Metro Center)

RSVP:
Please RSVP to Tiffany Ford Fields or call 202-347-5270.

CONTACT:
For further information, please contact Chris Lee or call 202-347-5270.