News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, June 18, 2004 |
Contact: CMS Public Affairs (202) 690-6145 |
HHS Announces Appointments to New Commission on Needs of the Low-Income in the New Medicare Drug Benefit
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the appointment of 24
members to serve on the State Pharmaceutical Assistance Transition
Commission (SPATC). The commission was mandated by the new
Medicare reform law to assure that low-income Medicare
beneficiaries who now get their drugs through state-sponsored
programs will not see their benefits reduced or their paperwork
increased.
“We want to make sure people who now rely on state programs to help
with prescription drugs will continue to get the help they need under the
new Medicare benefit,” Secretary Thompson said. “The work of the
new commission will go a long way toward meeting that goal.”
The new commission will develop legislative and administrative proposals
aimed at easing the transition of low-income Medicare beneficiaries from state
pharmaceutical assistance programs (SPAPs) to the new Medicare drug benefit
in 2006. A report from the group is due to the President and Congress in
January 2005.
The commission will hold its first meeting in Washington on July 7 at the
Holiday Inn, 415 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington D.C., from 9 a.m. until 5
p.m.
The commission will address such issues as how to design the transition
so that it is the “least disruptive” for beneficiaries, how states
can develop a single point of contact for enrolling and claims processing
for the new Medicare Part D, and how states can “wrap around”
the new benefit by paying low-income enrollees’ deductibles, copayments
and drug costs once an enrollee reached the Part D benefit threshold.
HHS and CMS officials selected commission members based on nominations received
in response to a public notice published February 27 in the Federal Register.
Joan Henneberry, director of consulting and research at Policy Studies,
Inc., of Denver, has been chosen as commission chairperson.
Other new commission members are:
Clifford E. Barnes, Esq., Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.,
Washington, D.C.
Clifford Barnes has been a shareholder of Epstein Becker &
Green, P.C. since 1990 and is a member of the National Health Law
Practice in the Washington and New York offices. He represents
health maintenance organizations and heads the Medicaid Managed
Care subgroup in the DC office. He serves on the board of National
Association of Health Services Executives and the National
Association of Urban-Based Health Maintenance Organizations.
Donna A. Boswell, Ph.D., J.D., partner, Hogan & Hartson,
LLP, Washington, D.C.
As a health lawyer, Donna Boswell represents pharmaceutical
companies. She advises clients on state policy and legislative
issues related to the accessibility of prescription drugs under
Medicaid and state-funded pharmaceutical assistance programs.
Before joining Hogan & Hartson, Ms. Boswell was a college
professor at Wesleyan University. She also served as a legislative
assistant in the U.S. Senate and as a congressional fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society
for Research in Child Development.
James Chase, director, health care purchasing, Minnesota
Department of Human Services, St. Paul, Minn.
James Chase is the director of health care purchasing for the
Minnesota Department of Human Services. His responsibilities
include management of the state pharmacy programs for Medicaid,
MinnesotaCare and the Minnesota Prescription Drug Program. He has
over 20 years of health care management experience, including eight
years with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and 12 years
with private health plans and provider organizations.
David L. Clark, R.Ph., M.B.A., vice president, pharmacy
services, The Regence Group, Portland, Ore.
David Clark is the vice president for pharmacy services with The
Regence Group, a company with health plans in Oregon, Washington,
Utah and Idaho, serving 3 million subscribers. The Regence Group
also provides pharmacy benefit management support to BCBS of
Michigan. His responsibilities include overseeing all
pharmacy-related services including formulary activities, P&T
Committees, product reviews, contracting, and benefit design.
Prior to joining The Regence Group, Clarke was director of pharmacy
services for Intermountain Health Care in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jay D. Currie, Pharm.D., associate professor (clinical),
division of clinical and administrative pharmacy, College of
Pharmacy, the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Jay Currie serves as an associate professor (clinical) in the
College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa, a position he has
held since 1997. In addition, he is the co-director for education
in the Center to Improve Medication Use in the Community. He
served on the executive committee of the Iowa Geriatric Education
Center. He also worked as a pharmacist for a number of years.
Barbara Edwards, deputy director, Office of Ohio Health Plans,
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Columbus, Ohio.
Barbara Edwards has served as Ohio’s Medicaid Director since
1997. She is responsible for the management and oversight of
Ohio’s Medicaid Health Plan, as well as Ohio’s Title
XXI Children’s Health Insurance Plan and Ohio’s
Disability Assistance/Medical Plan. Prior to joining the Medicaid
program, Ms. Edwards was project manager of the Medical Cost
Containment Council at Nationwide Insurance and served as chief of
health policy at the Ohio Department of Health.
Nora Dowd Eisenhower, J.D., secretary, Pennsylvania Department
of Aging, Harrisburg, Pa.
Nora Dowd Eisenhower is the secretary of the Pennsylvania
Department of Aging and manages an extensive network of services
through a statewide system of 52 Area Agencies on Aging. Ms.
Eisenhower has directed programs for the elderly for over 15
years. Prior to joining the Department of Aging, she served as the
AARP executive director for Pennsylvania. She served for six years
as Pennsylvania’s deputy attorney general in the Bureau of
Consumer Protection.
Janice O. Faiks, J.D., assistant general counsel, Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America, Washington, D.C.
Janice O. Faiks serves as assistant general counsel for the
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. She also
served as vice president of the National Center for Policy Analysis
as well as the Hannaford Company. She served in a variety of
federal positions, including the deputy assistant secretary for
mine safety and health at the Department of Labor. She served in
the Alaska State Senate, including tenures as the President of the
Senate and the Judiciary Committee Chairman.
Dr. Dewey D. Garner, chair and professor of pharmacy
administration, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy,
University, Miss.
Dr. Dewey Garner is chair and professor of pharmacy administration
at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. He has been
chair since 1992, and has served as a professor at the university
since 1971. Prior to joining the university, Dr. Garner served on
the faculty at the University of Houston. He has practiced
pharmacy since 1964. He has served as chair of a number of
national pharmacy organizations. He also served as a member of the
Mississippi Medicaid Commission’s Technical Advisory
Committee on Drugs for 15 years.
Karen Greenrose, R.N., president, American Association of
Preferred Provider Organizations, Borden, Ind.
Karen Greenrose serves as president of the American Association of
Preferred Provider Organizations (AAPPO); a position she has held
since 1999. She is responsible for advancing AAPPO’s mission
and provides strategic leadership in all aspects of Association
management. She has served in senior leadership positions for a
number of private companies, including Preferred Plan, Takecare
Indiana HMO, HealthPlus, Lincoln National Life Insurance, Employers
Health Insurance, Blue Cross of California, and American Medical
International.
Joan F. Henneberry (chairperson), director, consulting and
research, Policy Studies, Inc., Denver, Colo.
Joan Henneberry currently serves as director of consulting and
research in the government health services area of Policy Studies,
Inc. (PSI). Prior to joining PSI, she served as deputy director,
and director, of the Health Policy Studies Division, Center for
Best Practices at the National Governors Association (NGA). Before
joining NGA, Ms. Henneberry served a number of years with the
Colorado Department of Health.
Laurie Hines, J.D., executive director, Missouri Senior Rx
Program, Jefferson City, Mo.
Laurie Hines currently serves as the executive director of the
Missouri Senior Rx Program. She has served in a variety of
positions with state government for the past seven years, including
legal and program areas. She was an associate with a law firm in
which she represented clients before the Social Security
Administration, and clerked for the Missouri Supreme Court.
Joseph B. Kelley, vice president of government and public
affairs, Eli Lilly and Company, Washington, D.C.
Joseph Kelley serves as vice president of government and public
affairs for Eli Lilly and Company. He has been with the company
since 1994, serving in various managerial positions. He also
served as chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America’s State Government Affairs Division for two
years. Prior to joining Lilly, he served as assistant director,
state government affairs, for W.R. Grace & Company for five
years.
Mary Liveratti, deputy director, Nevada Department of Human
Resources, Carson City, Nev.
Mary Liveratti serves as the deputy director of the Department of
Human Resources. In this capacity, she is responsible for
oversight of the Nevada Senior Rx Program and the Office of
Disability Services. She worked for 23 years in Nevada’s
Division for Aging Services, serving as the administrator of that
division from 1999 to 2003. She has served as a member for a
number of health-related boards and committees, including five
years on the Nevada Commission on Aging.
Dr. Anne Marie Murphy, administrator of medical programs,
Illinois Department of Public Aid, Springfield, Ill.
Dr. Anne Marie Murphy serves as the administrator of medical
programs in Illinois. In this capacity, she directs
Illinois’ Medicaid program, which serves over 1.7 million
people and has a budget of over $10 billion in fiscal year 2004.
Prior to taking her current position, she served as senior health
care policy advisor for Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). She also
served on staff of the Health, Education and Labor Committee for
Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) and Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA).
Julie A. Naglieri, director, New York State Elderly
Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program, New York,
N.Y.
Julie Naglieri has served as the director of New York’s EPIC
program since 1998. EPIC is the largest state pharmaceutical
assistance program in the nation. She has been with EPIC since the
inception of the program in 1987, serving in a variety of
capacities. Her entire professional career has been dedicated to
the public service of New York State, beginning with the Office of
the State Comptroller in 1972.
Dennis R. O’Dell, senior vice president, health services,
Walgreen Co., Deerfield, Ill.
Dennis O’Dell was named senior vice president of health
services this year after serving as corporate vice president,
health services for four years. He began his service to Walgreens
in 1968 as a service clerk. He has served in various capacities
there including director of third party operations and divisional
merchandise manager, pharmacy. He holds a B.S. in pharmacy from
the University of Tennessee.
Robert P. Power, M.B.A., C.B.E.S., senior director/senior
medical economist, HealthPartners, Bloomington, Minn.
Robert Power has served as a senior director/senior medical
economist with HealthPartners, Inc. since 1991. In this capacity,
he serves as an internal consultant for public policy issues such
as risk adjustment involving quantitative and data-handling
issues. He provides expertise on risk-based financing for Medicare
and Medicaid, tracking revenues of approximately $300 million per
year. Prior to joining HealthPartners, Mr. Power worked for two
private health companies. He currently serves on two health
care-related panels.
Susan C. Reinhard, R.N., Ph.D., deputy commissioner, New Jersey
Department of Health and Senior Services, Trenton, N.J.
Dr. Reinhard serves as New Jersey’s deputy commissioner of
the Department of Health and Senior Services. In this capacity,
she directs state policy, programs, and financing for all services
for older adults. She administers the Pharmaceutical Assistance to
the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) Program, one of the most generous
state-funded pharmaceutical programs for older adults and people
with disabilities in the country. She co-directs the Center for
State Health Policy at Rutgers University. She has chaired or
participated in a number of different advisory committees. She has
had dozens of articles, book chapters and reports on research,
health policy and practice published, as well as delivering
hundreds of papers, keynote addresses and panel discussions on
health, healthcare policy, aging, disability and nursing topics.
Sybil M. Richard, J.D., M.H.A., R.Ph., bureau chief, Florida
Medicaid Pharmacy Services, Tallahassee, Fla.
Sybil Richard recently accepted the position of bureau chief for
Florida Medicaid Pharmacy Services. She served as the director of
policy and programs at the National Association of Chain Drug
Stores since 2001. In this capacity, she was responsible for the
development and implementation of federal and state legislative and
regulatory policy related to the Medicare, Medicaid and State
Children’s Health Insurance Programs that affect the retail
chain community pharmacy industry.
Elizabeth J. Rohn-Nelson, Dallas, Texas
Elizabeth Rohn-Nelson has served in a variety of organizations and
committees. Her experience includes tenures at the United Way, the
United Seniors Association, Inc., the Eagle Forum, and the
Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution.
She directed the “Bells Across America” project. She
also served as the deputy director and director of
intergovernmental and congressional affairs at the Texas Department
of Health and Human Services.
Marc S. Ryan, M.P.A., secretary, State Office of Policy and
Management, Hartford, Conn.
Marc Ryan has served as the secretary of the State Office of Policy
and Management (OPM) since 1998. Before that, he held a variety of
appointed positions in the Rowland Administration. He specializes
in budgeting, policy and planning for the state’s human
services agencies. He has played a role in the state’s
welfare reform and managed care initiatives. He also led the joint
team that crafted the state’s new children’s health
insurance program.
Linda J. Schofield, B.S.N., M.P.H., Schofield Consulting,
Simsbury, Conn.
Linda Schofield consults on managed care and health care with a
variety of organizations through her company, Schofield
Consulting. Her clients include the National Pharmaceutical
Council, health plans, providers, trade associations,
pharmaceutical manufacturers, government agencies, and charitable
foundations. She served as State Medicaid Director for Connecticut
for six years. She also worked as an executive in the insurance
industry for nine years.
Martin Schuh, M.B.A., ACS State Healthcare, Atlanta, Ga.
Martin Schuh serves in external affairs at ACS State Healthcare.
In this capacity, he represents ACS to specific audiences who would
have potential interests in the firm, and he administers
documentation and contract negotiations for additional services for
new customers. Prior to joining ACS, he served for five years as a
contract manager with Uniprise Disease Management.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: June 18, 2004
|