Date: February 23, 2005
Contact: Barbara Schoof Conant
barbaraconant@aging.state.ks.us
Director of Communications
(785) 296-6154
A United Methodist Health Ministry Fund grant recently allowed the Kansas Department on Aging to coordinate a coalition of Kansas advocates and policy-makers to attend the annual National Academy of Social Insurance Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s two-day conference focused on the “Medicare Modernization in a Polarizing Environment: Facing the Challenges.” KDOA Secretary Pamela Johnson-Betts coordinated and led the diverse group of participants to Washington, D.C to the Jan. 27-28 conference.
Kansas was represented by: Ann Garvin, AARP Kansas; Maria Consuelo Sandoval, United Methodist Western Kansas Mexican-American Ministries, Garden City; Annette Graham, Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, Wichita; Acting Secretary Gary Daniels, SRS; Patricia (Trish) Moore, Johnson Co. Human Services and Aging Department and chair of the State Advisory Council on Aging; Karen Braman, Kansas Division of Health Policy and Finance; Robert Tomlinson, Kansas Insurance Department; Rosa Molina, Medical Service Bureau, Wichita;. Secretary Johnson-Betts, Janis DeBoer, KDOA deputy secretary, and Martin Kennedy, KDOA director of the budget and governmental relations; and Suzi Lenker, Senior Health Insurance Counselors of Kansas trainer, Wichita.
“The diversity of Kansans was well-represented thanks to support from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund,” said Secretary Johnson-Betts. “The complexity of the MMA demands our organizations work together to help Medicare beneficiaries understand the changes. It is critical that we begin now to educate staff and build the necessary resources. The valuable support of the Health Fund allowed us access to valuable information and a network of knowledge that will help us effectively move forward.”
Conference participants heard prominent speakers discuss key issues in the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), including the prescription drug benefit, future of the Medicare Advantage program, implications of the MMA on social insurance principles, challenges of serving low-income beneficiaries, impact of health savings accounts, payment incentives for quality care, and many others.