Midwest Business Group on Health Convenes 31st Annual Conference; Megatrends in Health Care, Health Benefits and Health Improvement

CHICAGO, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), one of the nation's leading business groups of private and public employers, will host its 31st Annual Conference for employers, health benefits professionals and other health care stakeholders, May 5-6, 2011 in Chicago. This year's theme is Health Benefits MEGATrends: Transformations in Health Care, Health Benefits & Health Improvement.

The conference will address the major changes taking place in the direction and design of health benefits, the health care system and approaches to improving our nation's health status. MBGH offers a nationally-relevant, purchaser-focused health benefits conference that is local and affordable, featuring leading employers and industry experts providing objective, timely and practical information on the latest research, trends and best practices critical to health care reform and business success.

Employer and keynote speakers for the 2011 conference include:

• Jeffrey C. Bauer, PhD, health futurist and medical economist
• Leah Binder, CEO, The Leapfrog Group
• Dan Buettner, Jr., author, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest & Thrive - Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way
• Wayne N. Burton, MD, global corporate medical director, American Express
• Karen Ignagni, president and CEO, America's Health Insurance Plans
• Shawn Leavitt, vice president, Benefits, Safeway
• Kathy McAlpine, senior director, U.S. Benefits, Kraft Foods
• Lee Sacks, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Advocate Health Care and president, Advocate Physician Partners
• Kenneth E. Thorpe, PhD, Robert W. Woodruff professor and chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
• Andrew Webber, president and CEO, National Business Coalition on Health
• Kevin B. Weiss, MD, MPH, president and CEO, American Board of Medical Specialties
• Jeffrey C. White, director, Strategic Health Initiatives, The Boeing Company

Additional details and registration information can be found on MBGH's website: http://mbgh.org/index.php?t=event&&events__id=108

About the Midwest Business Group on Health

Celebrating more than 30 years of advancing value in health care and health benefits management, the non-profit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) is one of the nation's leading business groups of private and public employers. MBGH's more than 100 members represent over 3 million lives, spending more than $3 billion on health care benefits annually. MBGH member benefits include educational workshops for health benefits management, networking opportunities, research, demonstration projects and community initiatives. MBGH is a founding member of the National Business Coalition on Health. www.mbgh.org

SOURCE Midwest Business Group on Health