HLA Law and Policy Forum, Brown Bag Luncheon Series

HLA’s Health Law and Policy Forum Brown Bag Luncheon Series

In 2007, HLA introduced the Health Law and Policy Forum Brown Bag Luncheon Series which brings together the best legal and health care minds in Massachusetts for informal discussions of hot topics in health law. Each event in the Series, a component of HLA’s Pro Bono Legal Network curriculum, features a special guest speaker who discusses a cutting edge issue of health law or policy and engages in a dialogue with the audience. The programs are attended by a broad crosssection of advocates, lawyers, health care professionals, payers, and policymakers from the private and government sectors. The Series provides participants with valuable networking opportunities and the chance to exchange ideas on key health care topics with some of the most well known, respected, and knowledgeable experts in the field.

The luncheon series is made possible with support from Proskauer Rose LLP and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.

Recent Events

   A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed.,Regional Administrator, Region One for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), presented "SAMHSA's Regional Presence and Priorities: Strategies on mental health and substance abuse in New England."

James Roosevelt, Jr., CEO and President of Tufts Health Plan, led the discussion "The Health Care Cost Containment Law: A first step in controlling costs."

 

 

Jeffrey N. Catalano, Esq., Partner at Todd & Weld LLC, and Alan Woodward, MD, Chair of the MA Medical Society Committee on Professional Liability, presented "Medical Malpractice Reform in Massachusetts: A talk focusing on the new medical malpractice laws, their implementation, and their purpose in furthering patient rights and safety." 

 

July 2, 2012: HLA and Proskauer convened a panel of distinguished health law and health care reform experts to discuss what the Supreme Court's decision means for health care reform, employers, providers, insurers and consumers, and how it impacts established Supreme Court doctrine. The panel and audience enjoyed a lively and engaging discussion and we thank all of those in attendance for making the event such a success. In particular we are grateful for our partnership with Proskauer and leadership and expertise in organizing the event.  The discussion was moderated by Wendy E. Parmet, the George J. and Kathleen Waters Matthews Distinguished Professor and Professor of Law at Northeastern University School of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Panelists included:

Sarah G. Gordon, Vice President of Legal Affairs for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plan

Peter Marathas, Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP 

Wendy K. Mariner, Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law at Boston University School of Public Health, Professor of Law at BU School of Law, and Professor of Socio-Medical Sciences at BU School of Medicine

David G. Spackman, General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs for Lahey Health System

For those who could not attend in person, you can download an audio recording of the proceedings here.

Previous Events

In the first several months of the Series, special guest presenters and their topics have included:

• Michael Dukakis, Former Massachusetts Governor; Distinguished Professor, Department of Political Science, Northeastern University: Health Care: Getting Serious About Cost Control
• Scott Harshbarger, Proskauer Rose LLP, Senior Counsel to the Firm and Former Massachusetts Attorney General: The Brave New World of Non-Profit Governance: Legal and Ethical Challenges
• Clare McGorrian, noted health law litigator and Adjunct Professor, Suffolk University Law School; former Senior Staff Counsel, HLA: The Anatomy of a Class Action Trial: HCFA v. Romney
• Judith Kurland, former Regional Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and former Commissioner of Boston Department of Health and Hospitals, Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino: Bait and Switch: Medicare Part D and Other Scams
• Honorable Margot Botsford, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: In the Matter of Hilary: On the Right to Counsel for Parents of Children in Need of Services
• Nick Littlefield, Partner and Chair of the Government Strategies Group at Foley Hoag LLP and former Staff Director and Chief Counsel for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education and Labor: Lessons Learned from the Health Care Wars of the 90’s for 2009
• Patricia McGovern, General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Affairs, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and former Massachusetts State Senator: Getting Serious About Quality Health Care: Costs and Benefits
• James Roosevelt, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Tufts Health Plan, former Associate Commissioner, Social Security Administration: Addressing the Threat of Rising Health Care Costs to the Sustainability of Health Care Reform
• Dolores L. Mitchell, Executive Director, Group Insurance Commission of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Board Member, Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority: Health Reform: A Brave New World and Not for the Faint of Heart
• Prof. David Cutler, Senior Health Policy Advisor to Presidential Candidate Sen. Barack Obama and  Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, Department of Economics and Kennedy  School of Government, Harvard University led the discussion of Sen. Obama’s health  care reform proposals.
• Jarrett T. Barrios, President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Massachusetts Foundation, led the discussion: "The Shadow of ERISA and Mass Health Reform."
• Marylou Sudders, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children led the discussion: "Children's Mental Health: The Stepchild of Health Care.
• Charles D. Baker, President and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc., led the discussion: "Health Reform and the Challenge of Cost Containment: Will We Triumph?" at the AARP of Massachusetts, 1 Beacon St. Boston MA, on January 8, 2009.
• Martha Coakley, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, led the discussion on the Attorney General's Office and Healthcare. The discussion was held at Suffolk University Law School.
• Judy Norsigian, Executive Director of Our Bodies Ourselves led the discussion, “Women’s Health and Policy Changes: Advocacy Priorities for 2009”. The discussion was held at the AARP of Massachusetts.
• 

  John Auerbach, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, led the discussion "Public Health in a Challenging Time." The discussion was held at the AARP of Massachusetts.

• 

  Dr. James Mandell,CEO of Children's Hospital Boston, led the discussion "Children Are Not Little Adults: A Pediatric View On Payment and Insurance Reform." The discussion was held at the AARP of Massachusetts.

• Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, led the discussion "Taking Action to Eliminate Disparities." The event was held at the AARP of Massachusetts.

• Ralph de la Torre, MD, Chairman and CEO of   Steward Health Care System, led a discussion on "Affordable Care Organizations: A New Model for Delivering Health Care Services."