Medicare reform is a hot topic on the agenda for the bipartisan congressional budget committee whose Dec. 13 deadline for a compromise deal on a federal spending plan is looming. Both political parties have proposed raising the Medicare eligibility age and premiums on older adults, among other changes.

In the midst of this debate, two policy experts will join AHCJ’s topic leader on aging, Liz Seegert, to help members understand:

• what are the underlying forces driving up Medicare spending and what does it mean for older adults?
• what is being done to combat waste, fraud and overtreatment?
• how did Medicare become a big business and a darling of Wall Street?
• where does the money for Medicare come from and where does it go? How much of Social Security income are seniors paying for Medicare?
• will boomers be able to find a doctor when they become eligible for Medicare?
• what rights and protections do older adults have in this changing Medicare landscape?

The speakers for the Dec. 12 webcast, “Medicare: Whose Entitlement Is It?” will be:

Rosemary Gibson

Rosemary Gibson is national authority on patient safety and the health care industry. She’s a senior adviser to The Hastings Center and an editor for JAMA Internal Medicine. She’s authored several books, including “The Treatment Trap,” which puts a human face on overtreatment, and “Medicare Meltdown: How Wall Street and Washington are Ruining Medicare and How to Fix It,” which examines the business of Medicare and its impact on the fiscal challenges facing the federal program for older Americans. Gibson led national health care initiatives at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for 16 years.  She holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Stacey Sanders

Stacey Sanders, M.S.W., is federal policy director at the Medicare Rights Center a national, nonprofit organization that works to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities understand their rights and benefits, navigate the system and gain affordable, quality care.  Previously, Sanders led national campaigns to enhance income security for older adults, including strengthening social security for older women. She completed her master’s at the University of Michigan as a fellow of the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education. She is an executive fellow of the Center for Progressive Leadership, a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and served as co-chair of the Income Security Committee of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations in 2011.

Liz Seegert

Moderator Liz Seegert is AHCJ’s core topic leader on aging. Her reporting and writing background spans more than 25 years in print, broadcast and digital media covering consumer and professional health topics. Seegert’s writing credits include Kaiser Health News, New America Media, Women , Home Care Technology Report and professional journals, such as the Journal of Healthcare Information Management and Practical Diabetology. She is a regular contributor to theHealthCetera, blog and to the award-winning HealthStyles radio show (WBAI/Pacifica), both part of the Center for Health, Media and Policy at Hunter College, NYC, where she is a senior fellow.

This is an event for AHCJ members so you will need your AHCJ user name and password to access the webcast. Make sure you have that information beforehand. Click here if you need help or contact info@healthjournalism.org.