Mark McClellan

The state of healthcare and the ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care Act have the U.S. at a unique crossroad. As research breakthroughs result in potential cures and better treatments, patients and health professionals are frustrated by bureaucracy and other factors that drive up the costs and availability of beneficial health care even as policymakers have tried to address many of these long-standing issues. Drawing on his experience as administrator for both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food & Drug Administration, Dr. Mark McClellan reviews the Affordable Care Act, what’s working, not working and all the trends in the U.S. health care system, explaining how these trends can potentially transform the health care landscape. He provides audiences with key insight on the issues shaping our health care debate and outlines specific steps—such as transparency of the system and “ownership” by its users—that public and private sectors should take to promote better care now and in the future.

With health care costs rising alongside the number of uninsured Americans, providing access to affordable, up-to-date coverage is a critical priority for the country. Today, Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program provide coverage for over 70 million low-income Americans, but rising costs and changing population needs are leading every state to re-evaluate how Medicaid services are provided. As the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. Mark McClellan led the agency through the most important Medicaid reforms in the program’s 60-year history. In a compelling presentation offering possible solutions to the Medicaid crisis, McClellan reviews how states respond, while providing innovative approaches to dispensing Medicaid benefits, including expansions of coverage, providing “dual-eligible” (Medicare and Medicaid) coverage and long-term care reforms (such as “Money Follows the Person” benefit reform).

Innovation in health care is a long, costly and risky process, governed by guidelines and fraught with regulatory and bureaucratic challenges. In fact, it's estimated that bringing a new drug to market now costs well over a billion dollars. And this process requires not only good science, but effective financing and careful attention to regulatory processes to gain market approval and acceptance by public and private insurance programs. Lacking a comprehensive strategy for addressing these issues means that a valuable product may not reach patients in a timely and cost-effective way. Dr. Mark McClellan reviews some of the major challenges and opportunities for product developers and investors, including an overview of key issues at the FDA and at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that impact the development and use of new medical technologies.

Dr. Mark McClellan led the U.S. Medicare program through the implementation of the most significant reforms in its 60-year history, as Medicare added prescription drug coverage and altered its outlook to become more focused on prevention rather than on treatment. In a presentation full of potential solutions to problems posed by an aging population, McClellan reviews some of the key policy, political, administrative, communications and outreach challenges in implementing major health care reforms. He also outlines the key issues for the future of Medicare as well as initiatives to meet these challenges, as it faces funding complications from the aging baby-boom generation.