Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004

WASHINGTON—Disability healthcare reform will be the subject of a policy forum sponsored by the National Council on Disability (NCD) on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, from 3:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. MST. The forum will be held at the Chaparral Suites Resort, 5001 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona. This meeting is open to the public.

The forum will explore the relationship between health insurance coverage and access to appropriate health care and long-term services for people with disabilities, including people with chronic health conditions. It will also identify opportunities to maintain and improve health outcomes for this growing population.

Disability healthcare speakers include:

Leonard Kirschner, M.D., M.P.H., State President, AARP Arizona

Merrill Friedman, Assistant Vice President, Advocacy and National Partnerships, AMERIGROUP Corporation

Anthony D. Rogers, Director, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System

Judie Walker, Division Chief, Member and Provider Services, Education and Advocacy, Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs, Arizona Department of Health Services

Jill Jamison Rissi, Ph.D., Associate Director for Research and Policy, St. Luke's Health Initiative

A special public comment session dedicated to disability healthcare will take place after the forum from 4:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. MST. The toll-free call-in number is (888) 790–6568, and the pass code is "NCD Meeting."

NCD will host a reception at the hotel from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. immediately following the forum and public comment session. Meeting participants, audience members, and disability community stakeholders are invited to attend.

The disability healthcare policy forum is part of NCD's quarterly meeting, which is also being held at the hotel, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, January 12, 2009, and ending at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

NCD is an independent federal agency responsible for reviewing and evaluating policies, programs, and practices that promote the full integration, independence, and productivity of people with disabilities, and for advising the executive and legislative branches on matters affecting people with disabilities.