2024 Illinois State of Reform Health Policy Conference

To set the tone for the day, we’re welcoming Lizzy Whitehorn, Director of the Illinois Department of Health & Family Services, as our Opening Keynote speaker. Grab a seat to hear Whitehorn discuss her department’s recent work to improve health policy and her long-term goals for Illinois’ healthcare system.

Lizzy Whitehorn: Director, Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services

Bridging equity gaps in healthcare has long been a priority for Illinois health leaders. How has the state’s work to improve health equity played out in the community? Where has this work yielded success, and where has it shown opportunities to improve the state’s health equity strategy? This panel will examine the operationalization of health equity initiatives and how we can apply the lessons learned moving forward.

Rushil Desai: Chief Executive Officer, Aetna Better Health of Illinois

Misty Drake: Vice President, Client Services & Growth, Medical Home Network & Executive Director, Wellness West

Kimberly Hobson: Chief Executive Officer, South Side Healthy Communities

Jered Pruitt: Chief Operating Officer, Chinese American Service League

Debra Carey: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Particularly in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local government leaders in Illinois have made strengthening public health infrastructure a key goal. Join this panel to hear various public health leaders discuss the recent work they’ve done to ensure a robust public health system and learn about the reforms they intend to pursue in the future.

LaMar Hasbrouck, MD, MBA, MPH: Chief Operating Officer, Cook County Department of Public Health

Olusimbo Ige, MD, MS, MPH: Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health

Crystal Tyler, PhD, MPH: Chief Executive Officer, Illinois Public Health Institute

Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA: Director, Illinois Department of Public Health

Teresa Garate, PhD: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Some state leaders are supporting reforms to prior authorization rules to streamline care delivery for patients, but others are concerned about the impact these will have on insurance affordability. The Pritzker administration supported legislation this year that would prohibit step-therapy and eliminate prior authorization for in-patient mental health treatment. Join this panel for a conversation about proposed changes to the prior authorization process.

Laura Minzer: President, Illinois Life & Health Insurance Council

Jordan Powell: Senior Vice President of Health Policy & Finance, Illinois Health & Hospital Association

Mayank Shah, MD: Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Advocate Aurora – Condell

Patrick Burke: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Ensuring children receive adequate healthcare is a critical priority for the state’s health sector. This includes physical health, behavioral health, and welfare support. Come hear these experts discuss how leaders can collaborate to improve the support system for children in the state.

Esther Farkas: Chief Operating Officer, Unite Us

Cristal Gary: Plan President & Chief Executive Officer, Meridian

Heidi Mueller: Director, Illinois Department of Child & Family Services

Jay Taylor: Chief Growth Officer, Brave Health

Sen. Dan Kotowski: Chief Executive Officer, Kids Above All (moderator)

Protecting patient health data has emerged as a primary concern for the Illinois health sector. With recent hospital information breaches showing the importance of safeguarding patient data, state healthcare leaders are exploring ways to strengthen the protection of confidential health data. These experts will discuss recent threats to healthcare data and how the state can respond to ensure patient’s privacy is protected.

Michael Cabonargi: Region V Director, US Department of Health & Human Services

Chris Lugo: Vice President, CISO, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Angela O’Banion: Chief Information Officer, Cook County Health

Evan Terry: Chief Information Officer, Health Management Associates (moderator)

During this panel, hear from leading state lawmakers and legislative insiders about the work being done to improve health policy in the Illinois Legislature. These panelists will discuss the key bills that were considered this year, the significant health policymaking discussions that took place, and the legislature’s long-term goals for health policy reform.

Stephanie Altman: Director of Healthcare Justice, Senior Director of Policy, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Gerald (Jud) E. DeLoss, JD: Chief Executive Officer & Chief Legal Officer, Illinois Association for Behavioral Health

Julie Hamos: Senior Advisor on Medicaid Coordination, Office of Medicaid Innovation; Past Director, Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services (moderator)

Illinois has established itself as a leader in addressing health-related social needs (HRSNs) like housing, race, and immigration status through its healthcare services. In this discussion, leaders will discuss some of the work being done on the ground to effectively ensure HRSNs don’t limit any individual’s access to quality, timely healthcare.

Dana Kelly: Chief of Staff, Illinois Department of Health & Family Services

Beth Kenefick: Senior Policy Advisor, Greater Chicago Food Depository

Lynda Schueler: Chief Executive Officer, Housing Forward

Sendy Soto: Chief Homelessness Officer, City of Chicago

Debra Carey: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Leaders in Illinois are continuously developing new strategies for growing and retaining healthcare workers. Hear from some of the state’s top experts on healthcare workforce development about some of the most promising new initiatives for strengthening the pipeline for new healthcare workers and retaining the current healthcare workforce.

Rukiya Curvey Johnson: Vice President, Community Health Equity & Engagement, RUSH

Glenda Gallisath: Senior Associate Director, Talent and Workforce Development, Illinois Board of Education

Mario Treto, Jr: Secretary, Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation

Teresa Garate, PhD: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Healthcare costs continue to grow in Illinois and across the country, presenting challenges for many Illinoisans. As the massive Medicaid redetermination efforts come to a close, it’s a natural time to take a step back and look at the insurance coverage payor mix with an eye towards the future. Join these experts as they discuss recent trends for overcoming affordability challenges for health insurance.

Stephani Becker: Associate Director of Healthcare Justice, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Aaron Galeener: Chief Administrative Officer, CountyCare

Ann Gillespie: Acting Director, Illinois Department of Insurance

Matt Powers: Managing Director, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Millions of Illinoisans rely on Medicaid and other healthcare safety net programs. With these public services being more critical than ever, how have leaders worked to enhance the state’s safety net over the past few years? What work remains to be done? This group of experts will talk through recent work and examine what the future holds for the healthcare safety net.

Kelly Cunningham: Medicaid Administrator, Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services

Andrea Gibson: Chief Strategy Officer, Cook County Health

Jonathan Wildt: Chief Operating Officer, Lawndale Christian Health Center

Matt Wolf, MBA: Plan President, Molina

Jay Shannon: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Illinois’ health sector has been implementing innovative technology for sharing timely and essential data across healthcare and social services providers to enhance care for patients. In this unique panel of solutions vendors, panelists will discuss their work using health information technology to enable closed loop referrals, improve care coordination, and support a broad range of transformative program initiatives.

Ron Austin: Senior Advisor, AIDA Healthcare

Prerana Laddha: Director of Social Care & Behavioral Health, Epic

Jaffer Traish: Chief Operating Officer, findhelp

Laura Zaremba: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Illinois has made significant investments in improving behavioral health access for residents. This panel will discuss how this funding can be best used, the role of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, and other ways to improve behavioral health access for Illinoisans.

Jacob Bradshaw: Account Executive, Illinois Mental Health Collaborative, Carelon Behavioral Health

Susan Doig, LCSW, LPHA, CADC: President & Chief Executive Officer, Trilogy, Inc.

Shea Haury: Executive Director, ComWell

Gerald Lott: Executive Director, Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery

Karen Batia, PhD: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

We’re closing out the day with a Closing Keynote featuring Ryan Croke, First Assistant Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear Croke’s perspective on the range of topics discussed throughout the day and about Gov. Pritzker’s office’s work on health policy.

Ryan Croke: First Assistant Deputy Governor, State of Illinois

Please join us following the Closing Keynote for a Networking Reception, sponsored by Carelon. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be included, giving attendees a wonderful opportunity to follow up on the discussions we’ve had throughout the day.