On Thursday, May 9, from 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET, ACS CAN will host its 13th annual National Forum on the Future of Health Care at the Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. This year’s joint in-person and virtual event will focus on the complexities of medical debt and its implications for cancer patients and their families. The photo is from last year's event.

The free, in-person and live-streamed event is open to staff and to the public. Please register at fightcancer.org/nationalforum and share within your networks.

Eva Stahl, Vice President of Undue Medical Debt and Michael Perry, Partner and Co-Founder of PerryUndem, will be this year’s keynote speakers. They will offer insight into the unique challenges faced by many cancer patients and survivors experiencing medical debt and the opportunities available to change policies to help prevent that debt or minimize its impact.

ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse will extend opening remarks followed by panels of leading experts who will focus on various aspects of navigating medical debt challenges. To learn more information about each panelist, visit the event’s website.

• Panel 1: Preventing Medical Debt – Discussion on public policy solutions necessary to prevent medical debt before it occurs.
• Panel 2: Reducing the Impact of Medical Debt – Dialogue on how to reduce the impact of medical debt on patients, survivors, and their families by changing how debt is collected and reported, reducing interest rates, and providing patient navigation.
• Luncheon Conversation: Diagnosis: Debt – A national reporter will share their experiences writing about medical debt in an award-winning series of investigations.
• Spotlight on Research Conversation: Leading researchers will discuss how they approach probing questions related to medical debt.
• Panel 3: Innovative Solutions – Perspectives on how organizations can help people with cancer and their families stay out of medical debt or deal with the impacts of debt.

For additional information about ACS CAN’s 13th Annual National Forum on the Future of Health Care, please contact Chelsea Herman at chelsea.herman@cancer.org. View the forum’s full agenda and register to attend on the event’s website at fightcancer.org/nationalforum​.