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Sep 28, 2010, 02:00 ET

Experts Discuss Health Reform's Impact on California Employers at Oct. 5 Forum at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Sponsored by The Presidents' Partnership of MemorialCare Health System

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health industry experts and corporate executives will lead a forum on how the new national health care reform legislation will impact a company's bottom line on Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Sponsored by The Presidents' Partnership of MemorialCare Health System, the half-day event features leaders from the health care, insurance, not-for-profit and business sectors.

"As provisions of national health care reform start to kick in, businesses are searching for information of the impact on their bottom line and how to best prepare for the multi-year phase-in. Health reform and its associated costs remain a major concern of business executives in every industry sector," says Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D., MemorialCare Health System president and CEO and past chair of California Hospital Association. "This forum will deliver up-to-date information on health reform and offers direction, solutions and strategies to help organizations navigate through reform and address the issues of rising health care and employee benefit costs."

Joining Dr. Arbuckle in the panel discussion are Diane Boyle, vice president of federal government relations for National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, which comprises more than 700 state and local associations representing 200,000 members and their associates nationwide; Gregory Freeman, vice president of economic and policy consulting for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation; and Christopher Dimos, president of pharmacy operations for SUPEVALU, one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery channel with 154,000 employees and 4,270 stores that include ALBERTSONS/Savon. Moderating the discussion is Barry Munitz, Ph.D., former chancellor of California State University, the nation's largest system of higher education, and past president and CEO of J. Paul Getty Trust. Dr. Munitz is trustee professor at California State University, Los Angeles, and chair of California P-16 Council, a statewide assembly of education, business and community leaders charged with improving education for preschool through college students.

Keynoting the forum is Sheryl Skolnick, Ph.D., senior vice president for health services of CRT Capital Group, LLC, and one of the country's most prolific speakers on economics and the health care industry. With 22 years experience on Wall Street, Dr. Skolnick has been named the Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street," appearing five times on that roster. She has a Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis where she was an Olin Fellow.

"MemorialCare's Presidents' Partnership informs and engages employers large and small on issues they all face and seeks solutions to address the challenges and costs of health care," adds Dr. Arbuckle. "Working in collaboration, MemorialCare can help businesses identify the impact of health care reform, create a healthier workforce, stem the escalating costs of health benefits and advocate for better care for the communities they serve."

MemorialCare Health System is a not-for-profit integrated delivery system that includes Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley. To register for the Oct. 5 forum at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, go to memorialcare.org/prespartnership or call 714-377-3009.

SOURCE MemorialCare Health System