Mississippi College Hosts Third Annual Healthcare Reform Summit

Gov. Phil Bryant

Gov. Phil Bryant, Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney and national experts will be among the speakers at the Mississippi Healthcare Reform Summit on October 10.

Mississippi College will host the third annual conference that’s designed to keep Mississippi businesses and community leaders informed and better equipped to manage health and wellness programs. The program will focus on topics facing businesses trying to manage complex healthcare systems and rising costs.

The event runs from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. that Wednesday in Anderson Hall on the Clinton campus and includes lunch.

Healthcare reform has been a major campaign issue in all 50 states during this presidential election year.

An MC graduate and former political science instructor at his alma mater, Gov. Bryant will serve as the summit’s luncheon speaker.

The keynote speaker at 12:30 p.m. is Gary Kushner, president and CEO of Kushner, a human relations strategy and employee benefits consulting firm. Kushner is often interviewed by the national media, including CNN, “Fortune” magazine, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “The New York Times.”

Other speakers include Mississippi College School of Business professor Mark McComb, who will discuss the economics of healthcare and business at 8:30 a.m. He serves as director of the Center for Economic Education & Analysis on the Clinton campus.

Other speakers include Aaron Sisk, senior staff attorney with the Mississippi Department of Insurance, Jeff Styres, an attorney with the Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company in Jackson, Dan Gibson, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Self-Insurers, and Murray Harber, a board member with the Mississippi Business Group on Health.

With the presidential election to be decided November 6^th, USA healthcare and its future has become a key campaign issue for many Americans.

Signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010, America’s Affordable Care Act seeks to extend insurance to more than 30 million people. Overhauling the USA’s healthcare system, the law will cost the government about $938 billion over the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Critics of the law, including Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and GOP members of Congress, seek to repeal it.

Sponsors of the Mississippi Healthcare Reform Summit include the Mississippi College School of Business, the Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, the Capital Area Human Resource Association, the Mississippi Society for Human Resource Management and the Mississippi Business Group on Health.

About 200 visitors are expected to attend, including policymakers, business and healthcare professionals and other state leaders. School of Business Dean Marcelo Eduardo will deliver the opening remarks to begin the conference.

For additional information, contact Katrina Pace at 601.925.3421 or Chad Phillips at 601.925.3317.