Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 28 from 7-9am at (ANTHC) Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium located at 4000 Ambassador Drive. Commonwealth North has recently partnered with other concerned Alaskans in order to hold structured conversations with health care experts to evaluate specific policy solutions in health care reform. This month’s topic will be Medicaid Expansion.
We have invited Mark Foster (Mark A Foster and Associates), Bruce Scandling (Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association), Marilyn Kasmar (Alaska Primary Care Association), Bill Hogan (Alaska Mental Health Trust), and Karen Perdue (Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association) to give short presentations to be followed immediately with a group discussion. Each of the speakers will be addressing the following questions:
- What is in our power as Alaskans to control and act upon and what is not?
- Timing – specifically what is coming up that needs to be addressed and what sequence of steps needs to be taken in order to make a difference?
- How do solutions to this specific issue fit into the overall system of reform?
Commonwealth North is seeking to determine what potential benefits and challenges Alaska will face due to health care reform in the coming years and what actions can be taken now to prepare. The hope is that with enough information Alaskans will be able to clarify and leverage those aspects of health care reform that are beneficial to Alaska while at the same time work diligently to mitigate those elements that are identified as detrimental. (If you need to call in the number is 276-4900.)
If you are interested in the public policy issues facing Alaska, and supporting the work Commonwealth North does to inform, involve and influence all Alaskans on public policy issues, you should be a member of Commonwealth North. Membership information is available at www.commonwealthnorth.org or call 258-9522.
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