Health Policy Blog

Tom Brokaw led four panelists in a recap of the first policy forum, the topic of which was Health Insurance for All Americans. These panelists represented a cross-section of the forum participants, and included:

John Rother, director of Policy and Strategy for AARP. Rother is responsible for the federal and state public policies of AARP, for international initiatives and for formulating the organization’s overall strategic direction. He is an authority on Medicare, managed care, long-term care, Social Security, pensions and the challenges facing the baby boomer generation.

Linda Dillman, executive vice president of Risk Management, Benefits and Sustainability at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Since joining Wal-Mart in 1991, she has held several key information systems management positions. She was named to Fortune magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” every year from 2003 to 2007.

Michael Cascone Jr., chairman emeritus of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. During his tenure as chief executive officer, the company continued to increase the number of Floridians it served to more than 6 million and maintained external financial ratings that were among the highest in the country. Cascone currently serves on the board of The Alliance for Advancing Nonprofit Healthcare and on the advisory council for the University of North Florida’s Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy.

Ashley Thompson, director of Policy for the American Hospital Association (AHA), the national organization representing all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Thompson leads the association’s ongoing development of a national framework for improving America’s health and health care. She also is responsible for the development of policy positions on emerging issues such as pay-for-performance and transparency.

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