The 2020 Healthcare Economics Summit in Review

Director of the Right on Healthcare Initiative, Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF)

He has a broad base of experience throughout the healthcare spectrum, with special expertise in healthcare finance. He is a former Congressional candidate in Texas’ 2nd Congressional District and a seasoned hospital executive with more than 20 years of healthcare industry leadership and executive management experience.

CEO of Blase Policy Strategies, LLC

From 2017 until 2019, Dr. Blase served as a Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the White House’s National Economic Council. In this capacity, he coordinated the Trump Administration’s health policy agenda, leading the development of the administration’s policies to increase health care choice and competition. Dr. Blase has worked for key congressional committees in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate as well conducting research and analysis at several policy organizations. He often publishes research and commentaries, as a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, among many other outlets.

Visiting Fellow for Health Care Policy at the Goldwater Institute

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he served as a general medical officer in the 82nd Airborne from 1967-69. He was the first urologist trained at the University of Arizona and opened his private practice in Flagstaff in 1974.  He treated a remarkably diverse population which included the expansive Navajo-Hopi reservations. In 2000 he joined Mayo Clinic Arizona and engaged in clinical, educational, and research activities. Retiring in 2015 as an Assistant Professor of Urology, he remains on the emeritus staff. In addition to his medical interests Dr. Feldstein was vice-Mayor of Flagstaff and twice elected to the City Council 1980-88. His work at the Goldwater Institute focuses on reforming healthcare licensure, and he has both written extensively and testified before the legislature. He is also a consultant for the Medical Board of Arizona.

Founder and President of Biotech Policy Group LLC

She was the Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy at Celgene from 2007-2013 before returning to Biotech Policy Group.  Previously, she was Vice President for Regulatory Policy at GE Healthcare (formerly Amersham Health); Vice President for Health Policy at Ketchum; HHS and VA investigator for the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and Federal Government Relations Manager for Hershey Foods Corporation. She served in the administration of President George H.W. Bush as Special Assistant for Legislative and Public Affairs in the Office of the Commissioner, US Food and Drug Administration.

Anne Marie was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability and served from 2007-2011. She received her Regulatory Affairs specialist (RAC) in 1999 and is the author of numerous reports and articles on orphan drugs, infectious agents, blood safety, food safety and food additives.

She is currently on the Board of Directors of the FDA Alumni Association and co-chaired its activities committee from 2003-2014.  She was a trustee of the Hemophilia Association of New Jersey from 2005-2011.

She is a past president of Women in Government Relations and a former instructor in The Washington Representative Program, a graduate government relations program at The George Washington University.

Anne Marie received a BA in Government from Georgetown University and an MS in Science and Technology Commercialization from The University of Texas at Austin. She also earned a graduate certificate in government relations from The George Washington University.

Founder and Chairperson of PatientRightsAdvocate.org

Cynthia’s organization advocates on behalf of patients, their families and caregivers, so they can get real-time, free access to system wide price transparency. She is also a life sciences entrepreneur, independent investor, and corporate board director. She founded WaterRev, LLC to invest in novel technologies that enable sustainable practices in water use. She serves on the public company boards of The Boston Beer Company (SAM) and Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (DEA).

Cynthia is best known for her pioneering work as Founder and CEO of ViaCord, Inc., a leading umbilical cord blood stem cell banking service which she started in 1993. In 2000, she co-founded and was President of the cellular medicines company, ViaCell, Inc. (VIAC) Previously to founding ViaCord, Cynthia ran the Blood Bank Division of Haemonetics Corporation, a medical equipment manufacturer. She began her career in sales at IBM focusing on healthcare IT, insurance, and defense industries. Cynthia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Science and BS in Biophysics from Ursinus College

Healthcare and Higher Education Consultant

Curt retired from Concordia University in December 2018 having served the past five years as the chief executive of the Ann Arbor, Michigan campus. Prior to that Curt was a founding dean of the Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. Mr. Gielow served Mequon as an alderman and mayor over a nine-year period and as a state representative in the Wisconsin Assembly for two terms, where he chaired the Medicaid Reform Committee and served as vice-chair of the Health Committee.

Curt is a former pharmacist and hospital CEO having spent most of his professional career in healthcare leadership positions prior to his ten years of service to Concordia. He now serves as a consultant to healthcare and higher education institutions.

Representative Curt Gielow, a Republican, holds an undergraduate degree in pharmacy, a graduate degree in healthcare administration from the Washington University School of Medicine and an honorary doctorate from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is the 2005 co-author, with Rep Jon Richards (D), of the Wisconsin Health Plan which failed consideration in the Wisconsin state legislature during his tenure.

Senior Research Fellow and Healthcare Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Author of “Fortress and Frontier in American Health Care,” his work asks, “How can we make health care as innovative in the next 30 years as information technology was in the past 30?” Bob was senior healthcare advisor at the National Federation of Independent Business, economics professor at the University of Richmond, economist and education director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Sub-Saharan Africa economist at Chase Manhattan Bank, and adjunct professor of health economic at four other universities. His degrees include a PhD in Economics from Columbia University; master’s from Columbia University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the College of William and Mary; and a bachelor’s from the University of Virginia. In 2014, he won the Reason Foundation’s 2014 Bastiat Prize for Journalism.

Vice President of U.S. Government Relations, Walgreens

In this role, Mr. Kaleta leads federal, state, and local lobbying, public policy, and all political activities for Walgreens (walgreens.com), a provider of trusted care in communities since 1901.  Walgreens is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise.  The company operates 9,560 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omni-channel business.

Prior to Walgreens, Mr. Kaleta served as the Director of the Washington Office, for Humana, one of the nation’s leading health insurance companies, where he was responsible for navigating the company through the historic health reform legislative effort as well as tripling the size of Humana’s Political Action Committee (PAC).

His experience also includes working as Washington Manager of Governmental Affairs for Caterpillar.  In this capacity, he served as the Chairman and co-founder of the Employers’ Coalition on Medicare, a coalition of over sixty companies and organizations, which ultimately helped ensure favorable employer provisions and final passage of H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003.  He was also a founding member of CCPM, the Coalition for Competitive Pharmaceutical Markets, a coalition which helped provide better access to safe and effective generic pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Kaleta began his career at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business organization.  He spent over six years in various capacities including Congressional and Public Affairs, ChamberBiz, and the Office of the COO.

Mr. Kaleta is a graduate of the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Leadership Studies.  He currently lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and three children.

President of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health

Dr. Stephen Klasko is an advocate for a transformation of health care and higher education. He has been a pioneer in using technology to build health assurance, not just sick care.

As President and CEO of Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health since 2013, he has led one of the nation’s fastest growing academic health institutions based on his vision of re-imagining health care and higher education.

Under his leadership, Jefferson Health expanded from three hospitals to 14. His 2017 merger of Thomas Jefferson University with Philadelphia University created a pre-eminent professional university that includes fashion, design, architecture and health.

In 2020, he was named the first Distinguished Fellow of the World Economic Forum, and will co-chair the WEF Board of Stewards for The Future of the Digital Economy and New Value Creation.

In 2020, he has published two books: Un-Healthcare: From Sick Care to Health Assurance, with Hemant Taneja. And Patient No Longer: Why Healthcare Must Deliver the Care Experience that Consumers Want and Expect. His best-selling 2018 book is titled, Bless This Mess: A Picture Story of Healthcare in America.

President Klasko has served as dean of two medical colleges, and leader of three academic health enterprises before becoming President and CEO at Jefferson. For three years he has been listed among the Top 100 most influential people by Modern Healthcare – in 2018 he tied for #2.

His work on healthcare in a digital economy includes his 2009 colloboration with Apple Inc on digital media in healthcare, the 2012 building of one of the nation’s largest medical simulation centers (CAMLS), and the development at Jefferson of his vision of “healthcare with no address.” He is working with several digital health companies on the vision of “health assurance,” using new technology to keep people well, instead of waiting to provide sick care.

Director Healthcare Policy, Goldwater Institute

Naomi’s work focuses on a broad range of healthcare issues, including the Right to Try, off-label communications, pharmaceutical drug pricing, supply-side healthcare reforms, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and 21st-century healthcare innovation.

Lopez had twenty-five years’ experience in policy and has previously served at organizations including the Illinois Policy Institute, the Pacific Research Institute, the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies, and the Cato Institute.

A frequent media guest and public speaker, Naomi has authored hundreds of studies, opinion articles and commentaries. She holds a B.A. in economics from Trinity University in Texas and an M.A. in government from Johns Hopkins University

Partner, Ziino, Germanotta, Knoll & Christensen

Jon represented Milwaukee’s East Side, Downtown, and Bay View neighborhoods in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat from 1998 to 2014. He is now a partner with the law firm of Ziino, Germanotta, Knoll & Christensen in Milwaukee, where he practices business law and estate planning law. He is also a consultant for the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute and Clean Wisconsin.

Before entering law school, Jon worked as an English teacher in Japan, volunteered with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India and worked as a reporter for business newspapers in Milwaukee and San Francisco. He is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin Law School, and attended Keio University in Tokyo.

As both an elected official and a private citizen, Jon has been a champion of reforming healthcare in Wisconsin. In the State Assembly he worked with Republican colleague Curt Gielow to develop a comprehensive bi-partisan health reform plan three years before Congress debated the Affordable Care Act.  He also authored bi-partisan bills that were signed into law including the statewide smoking ban and bills mandating health care cost transparency.   As a member of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee Jon worked to implement the Affordable Care Act in Wisconsin.

Jon’s work in the community includes serving as the director of the Take Back MyMeds MKE coalition, serving on the board of Woodlands School, acting as a volunteer attorney for Lotus Legal Clinic (which serves survivors of human trafficking) and for the Eviction Defense Project, and teaching Sunday school to middle school and high school students. He also served on the board of the Medical Society of Milwaukee County. He lives in the Brady Street neighborhood of Milwaukee with his wife, Andrea, and son, Alex.

Senior Fellow of the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute

David has worked closely with both Democrats and Republicans to create path-breaking public policy at the state level and influence national policy. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Riemer held administrative, legal, and policymaking positions with the mayor of Milwaukee, two governors of Wisconsin, and the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s health subcommittee. He was the policy expert who worked with Curt Gielow to draft the bipartisan legislation, which would have created universal healthcare in Wisconsin. Active in politics as both an adviser and candidate, Riemer has focused for the last decade on advocacy and writing that aim to reshape the role of government in ensuring economic security, equal opportunity, and an effective market economy.

Dean & Director, Rx Think Tank

Daniel S. Sem, Ph.D., MBA has over 20 years of experience in healthcare entrepreneurship and innovation, first in the biotechnology industry, then in academia. He is the Dean of the Batterman School of Business and Professor of Business and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Concordia University Wisconsin, and Director of the Remedian Exchange (Rx) Think Tank.

Dr. Sem has over 60 published papers and book chapters, 10 issued patents on drug discovery and development techniques, and has co-founded several companies. Dr. Sem received his B.S. in Chemistry from UW-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. from UW-Madison in Biochemistry and his MBA and JD from Marquette University.

Board-certified Anesthesiologist

In 1997, he co-founded The Surgery Center of Oklahoma, an outpatient surgery center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, owned by over 40 of the top physicians and surgeons in central Oklahoma.  Dr. Smith serves as the medical director, CEO and managing partner while maintaining an active anesthesia practice.

In 2009, Dr. Smith launched a website displaying all-inclusive pricing for various surgical procedures, a move that has gained him and the facility, national and even international attention.  Many Canadians, uninsured Americans and beneficiaries of self-funded health plans have been treated at his facility, taking advantage of the low and transparent pricing available.  In 2014, he co-founded the Free Market Medical Association, an organization whose mission is to promote the application of the same free market principles every other industry must endure.

Operation of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, the standard for all who have embraced this practice approach, has gained the endorsement of policymakers and legislators nationally.  More and more self-funded insurance plans are taking advantage of Dr. Smith’s pricing model resulting in significant savings to their employee health plans.   His hope is for as many facilities as possible to adopt a transparent pricing model, a move he believes will lower costs and improve quality of care for all.

He has made appearances on the John Stossel Show, Fox and Friends, CNBC, Huffington Post, The O’Reilly Factor, Capital Account, The Ron Paul Channel, NBC Nightly News, CBS News and has been featured by Reason Magazine’s TV division.  The New York Times, Time Magazine, ABC news, Forbes and many others have written articles featuring Dr. Smith’s revolutionary approach to the pricing of medical services and uncompromising free market principles.

Attorney, Partner, Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP

He represents employers and benefits plans in court, and is an expert at fixing problems in healthcare benefits plans. He counsels on Affordable Care Act compliance, and has litigated before the U.S. Court of Appeals. He was named a “Leader in the Field” by Chambers USA.

Charlie has written and spoken extensively on benefits-related topics ranging from the ACA and the legal environment of wellness programs to the Family and Medical Leave Act. He is an active member of the Employee Benefits Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and works with Chamber staff in providing comments to federal agencies on current and proposed employee benefits law. Charlie excels at assessing and fixing problems that arise with employee benefit programs and providing a strategically driven approach to benefits compliance and risk management planning.

Charlie’s work is regularly honored by regional and national ranking organizations, such as Chambers USA, which named him a “Leader in the Field,” and The Best Lawyers in America.

Allergist/Immunologist, President of the American Medical Association

Previously, she served as president-elect of the AMA for one year, speaker of the AMA House of Delegates for four years and as vice speaker for four years.
Dr. Bailey, who has been active in the AMA since medical school when she served as chair of the AMA Medical Student Section, has held numerous leadership positions with the AMA. These include serving as chair of both the Advisory Panel on Women in Medicine and the AMA Council on Medical Education, as well as representing the AMA on the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the American Board of Medical Specialties, and COLA.

Her long history of service in helping guide organized medicine extends to the local and state levels as well. She has served as board chair and president of the Tarrant County Medical Society, and as vice speaker, speaker and president of the Texas Medical Association.

Dr. Bailey is an allergist in private practice, and has been with Fort Worth Allergy and Asthma Associates for over 30 years. She completed her residency in general pediatrics and a fellowship in allergy/immunology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., and is board certified in allergy and immunology, and pediatrics and has been awarded the title of Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

In addition to receiving her medical degree with honors from the Texas A&M University College of Medicine as a member of its charter class, Dr. Bailey was later appointed to the Texas A&M System Board of Regents by then Gov. George W. Bush, and has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University and of Texas A&M University College of Medicine.

Dr. Bailey is married to W. Douglas Bailey, has two sons and one grandson, and is an elder and longtime choir member of her church.

Regional Chief Financial Officer for the south market of Ascension Wisconsin

Jim Tarasovitch has been a senior executive in health care for over 30 years. He has led in both financial and operational roles for various health care organizations, directing and implementing strategic plans that supported the goals and objectives of the health care systems he served. Jim began his career in healthcare at Saint Vincent’s Health Care system, in Erie, PA., as the CFO for a newly-created joint venture ambulatory surgery center. He later become the President of that joint venture and held other finance and operational roles for the organization, as well. He then accepted the role of CFO for the Bradford Regional Medical Center, in Bradford, PA, before becoming the regional CFO for Mayo Clinic Health System – Minnesota.

As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the United States, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University Wisconsin, teaching MBA Healthcare Administration and other classes.

Associate Professor of Business at Ferris State University

Watts joined Ferris State University in 2018, having previously taught at both large public universities and small private colleges. Watts’ research interests include monetary history, entrepreneurship, and institutional analysis. He has published academic research papers, policy analysis, and commentary articles in a variety of scholarly and popular publications, including Eastern Economic Journal, The American Economist, and The Federalist. His research has also appeared in the Independent Review, Review of Austrian Economics, and Journal of Private Enterprise, and he is an author with FEE, the Foundation for Economics Education.

Dr. Watts is originally from Colorado and has a background in the residential construction industry prior to his academic career. Watts has a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University, a Master of Finance from Colorado State University and a B.A. in Economics from Hillsdale College. While at George Mason, he was a Mercatus Center Ph.D. Fellow.

Director, Healthcare Public Policy at Walmart

Deegan-Winters uses her in-depth industry knowledge to inform Walmart’s advocacy and health policy priorities. Most recently, she partnered with Walmart Health & Wellness to support the launch of a chain of primary care clinics inside of select Walmart retail locations in Georgia. Amanda’s strong analysis and relationship building skills enable her to build collaborative teams centered on her ultimate goal of increasing the availability of quality care for all. Prior to Walmart, Amanda served as a Market General Manager at Evolent Health and holds a BA degree in Communication and Political Science from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.