December 12, 2009: SHARE Deputy Director Elizabeth Lukanen was a featured speaker at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center's Student Leadership Summit, held on December 5. Ms. Lukanen spoke to a group of health professions students about the history, current status, and possible outcomes of federal health reform, with an eye to the potential impact of reform on practitioners.
Regarding the possible effects of reform on health professionals, Ms. Lukanen pointed out that expanded insurance coverage may result in a strain on providers, especially those in primary care, due to the increased demand for services. However, Ms. Lukanen highlighted likely reform elements intended to ameliorate this strain, including: workforce development grants focused on training and recruitment; grants for prevention and wellness initiatives; funds for public health infrastructure; maintenance or expansion of payments to teaching hospitals (including FQHCs); and increased funding for primary care services and training.
After her presentation, Ms. Lukanen participated in a panel discussion with Dr. Sheila M. Riggs, Director of the Office for Healthcare Transformation at the University of Minnesota; Mark Schoenbaum, Director of the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care at the Minnesota Department of Health; and Dr. Joel Albers, Pharmacist and Health Economics Researcher at the Universal Health Care Action Network - MN Community/University Collaborative Research.