An April 30th conference in St. Louis will examine the far-reaching implications of the Affordable Care Act on Missouri citizens and institutions.
Over the next several years, this legislation will have a dramatic impact on health care providers, state and local policymakers, business leaders, union representatives, the insurance industry, underserved and uninsured populations
and their advocates, and the general public, said Paul Rainsberger, director of the University of Missouri Extension Labor Education Program.
The conference will be April 30, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., at the J.C. Penney Conference Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis.
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The event will be the first of three conferences that will look at the policy changes from different perspectives and offer information to help people understand the implications of the Affordable Care Act in Missouri.
The conferences are a project of the Missouri Health Care Reform Network, a network of teaching, research and extension faculty at the University of Missouri
collaborating to provide relevant, reliable information about the impact of changes in health policy on Missouri citizens.
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The other conferences will be May 18 in Kansas City and June 22 in Columbia. The
Columbia conference will also be telecast to seven sites across the state.
Conference topics will include the mandate for most U.S. citizens to obtain health insurance, and the system of exchanges designed to help individuals and small businesses purchase affordable health insurance. The conference also will clear up common misconceptions about the law, Rainsberger said.
A lunchtime session will discuss the various legal and legislative challenges to the law, including a challenge to the individual mandate now being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Three breakout sessions will look at employer-sponsored health plans; high-risk populations, including the elderly, those with low incomes and people with disabilities; and medically underserved populations, such as rural communities.
Advance registration is required. The $50 fee includes conference materials, parking permit, breaks and lunch.
For information on registration, go to Missouri Health Care Reform Network or call 573-882-4370.
External partners for the St. Louis conference include the Missouri Foundation for
Health, the Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance and the Saint Louis University Center for Health Law Studies.
The Missouri Health Care Reform Network is part of Mizzou Advantage, a set of initiatives designed to make use of the University of Missouri's competitive strengths to tackle important problems and opportunities through research, education and collaboration.