AARP Hosts the Montana Healthcare Forum Aimed at Reform

With health care reform on the forefront of the national debate throughout the past year, leaders from across the state will convene this fall to examine the rapidly evolving landscape of health care in Montana. The third annual Montana HealthCare Forum takes place on Nov. 19 and 20 at the GranTree Inn in Bozeman. AARP is working together with a broad and diverse coalition of stakeholders to sponsor the forum aimed at addressing the healthcare crisis in Montana.

Five national and several state presenters are confirmed to speak at the conference. Headlining this year’s event is Elliott Fisher, MD, MPH. Dr. Fisher is Professor of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research in the newly established Dartmouth Institute for Health Care Policy and Clinical Practice. He has recently taken over leadership of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, which provides national and regional information on the performance of the U.S. health care system.

“AARP has been fighting for affordable, quality health care for older Americans for decades and we have been integrally involved in this current debate on health care reform in Congress,” said Bob Bartholomew, AARP Montana State Director. “While we have been extremely focused on making sure we pass meaningful reforms, our next challenge is to make sure that we fully understand how these reforms need to be implemented at the state level. ‘The evolving landscape of healthcare’ is the perfect theme for this year’s annual forum as we work together with our stakeholders to implement solutions to the health care crisis.”

In addition to sponsoring the Montana Healthcare Forum, the coalition has collaborated to develop a series of recommendations for improving the state’s healthcare systems.

For details about the Montana Healthcare Forum agenda or registration log onto www.montanahealthcareforum.com. Registration is $125. A limited number of sponsored registrations are available from AARP Montana. Members interested in attending as an AARP-sponsored participant should send an e-mail to mtaarp@aarp.org expressing their interest in being considered for a sponsorship.