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The UMBC Public Policy Forum “Health Care Reform: What Will It Mean to Maryland?,” held October 22, 2010 at Baltimore’s World Trade Center, provided key information to policymakers and industry professionals on how Maryland plans to implement health care reform, with a focus on the impact of expanded coverage for working families. Presenters included health policy experts Charles J. Mulligan (Executive Director, The Hilltop Institute), John M. Colmers (Secretary, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) and Paul Fronstin (Senior Research Associate, Employee Benefit Research Institute), with UMBC Public Policy Professor Nancy A. Miller serving as moderator.

In his presentation “What Federal Health Care Reform Legislation Means to States” (PowerPoint), Milligan gave an overview of the new federal health reform legislation and discussed its implications for states regarding Medicaid, exchanges, insurance-related issues, information technology, long-term services and supports, workforce issues, and preventive services and public health. Next, Secretary Colmers spoke about Maryland’s implementation plans and the Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, which he co-chairs (PowerPoint). Paul Fronstin concluded with “Expanded Health Insurance Coverage: Policy Implications for Employers and Individuals.”

The forum was co-sponsored by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the UMBC Department of Public Policy, The Hilltop Institute, and The Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research.