National Advocate to Give Keynote at Nebraska Conference on the Uninsured


Contact:

Milo Mumgaard, Nebraska Appleseed, 402-438-8853

Jennifer Carter, Nebraska Appleseed, 402-438-8853, ext. 104

NATIONAL ADVOCATE TO GIVE KEYNOTE AT NEBRASKA CONFERENCE ON THE UNINSURED

[LINCOLN] ­ John Bouman, Advocacy Director for the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law will be the keynote speaker at the Second Annual "Insuring the Good Life" Conference on the uninsured on October 6, 2005 in Lincoln. Mr. Bouman is a nationally recognized advocate and was recently instrumental in creating the FamilyCare program in Illinois to provide health insurance to up to 300,000 working poor parents of minor children.

In Nebraska, over 170,000 people are uninsured, with many more becoming uninsured everyday. This past year alone 2,000 more Nebraskans became uninsured. For a low- population, rural state, these are devastating figures, severely impacting communities, families, businesses, and health care providers.

Nebraska Appleseed has been working at the local, state, and national levels to build a common ground response to this problem. As part of that effort, it is holding the Second Annual "Insuring the Good Life" Conference on October 6, 2005 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Nebraska Appleseed is delighted to have Mr. Bouman as their keynote speaker. An advocate in the area of public benefits for nearly 30 years, in 2002 Mr. Bouman was named to Illinois' Governor Blagojevich's key transition team focusing on the state's budget crisis. He is also credited by many for his leadership in the design and implementation of Illinois' new welfare law in the late nineties. Mr. Bouman's work has been recognized by many national groups. He has been honored with both the John Minor Wisdom Award from the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's Kutak-Dodds award.

The conference will also feature panel discussions which will explore policy options for expanding coverage. Conference panelists include local and national experts from such organizations as Senator Ben Nelson's office, the National Academy for State Health Policy, Pfizer Inc., Alegent Health, Bryan LGH, AARP Nebraska, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, One World Community Health Center, Hope Medical Outreach Coalition, Nebraska's Unicameral, Nebraska's Department of Insurance, and Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services. The morning panel discussions are: Hospitals & Charity Care, Insurers, Prescription Drugs, Employer- Sponsored Coverage, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. In addition, there are two plenary sessions in the afternoon: Medicaid Reform and the Politics of Health Nebraska Appleseed Center
for Law in the Public Interest
Care.
941 "O" Street, Suite 105

Lincoln, NE 68508

The deadline for registering for the conference has been extended by request to
An affiliate of
The Appleseed Foundation
October 5, 2005. Continuing education credits for social workers are available.
of Washington, D.C.

Information and registration forms are available on our website at
Phone: 402.438.8853
www.NeAppleseed.org.
Fax: 402.438.0263
Email: nac@NeAppleseed.org

Website: www.NeAppleseed.org

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