Access to Treatments, Preserving Medicaid, and Keeping Americans Healthy are Main Themes at Health Next Summit
Published March 27, 2025
The Alliance for Aging Research co-sponsored The Hill’s Health Next Summit on Wednesday morning. More than 230 attendees filled seats in the Willard InterContinental’s Grand Ballroom in the heart of Washington, D.C., with another 1,200 tuning into the online livestream.
The Hill’s Health Next Summit explored the campaign promises made by the Administration; dove into priorities of the new leaders in health care; and discussed how it could play out for women’s health, mental health, AI, and emerging tech in health care.
The speaker line-up (in order of appearance) included:
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Ranking Member, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, who emphasized that federal research funding should prioritize scientific needs over political interests. She also expressed concern over misunderstanding of research institutions’ requirements and advocated for cost-effective research practices.
Rep. Kim Schrier, MD, M.D. (D-WA), Member, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health elaborated on her advocacy efforts to increase treatment access. She detailed the consequences of cutting costs for important research that could save lives. “Cutting research is an ‘America-loses’ proposition.” A pediatrician, she also discussed the seriousness of measles blaming vaccine skepticism for the recent cases. She urged the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to “measure twice and cut once” when examining federal spending.
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, President-Elect, American Medical Association, shared his personal experience with an 8 cm brain tumor, navigating the healthcare system as a patient, and how the journey helped him close the gap between physician and patient in his practice. “The hassle factor of prior authorization and access to physicians are things that Americans shouldn’t have to deal with,” he said. He discussed burdens of the non-medical tasks, saying that in a day, physicians practice cutting edge medicine but utilizing archaic documenting as being “George Jetson and Fred Flintstone at the same time.”
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Chair, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health; Co-Sponsor, Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act, explained how he hopes the bill will address high maternal mortality. He explained his passion around curbing fentanyl poisoning in the U.S. with legislation he hopes will gain support.
As a panel, Ryan McPherson, Vice President of Commercial Strategy, Cedar; Dr. Baligh Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, President, Jefferson Health; and Tim Hwang, General Counsel, Abridge, explored the future of tech, the role of AI, how to reduce the burden on caregivers, and keeping patients as a priority.
Alliance President and CEO Sue Peschin, MHS, kicked off her sponsor perspective segment acknowledging that Medicaid and Medicare will turn 60 this year by leading the group in singing Happy Birthday. “60 years ago, America made a contract with taxpayers to lift their worry and provide access to care as we age. If we get this right for older Americans, we’ll get it right for everyone ese as they age.”
Kathleen Sebelius, Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CEO, Sebelius Resources, LLC, discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic created a partisan divide that has undermined the public’s trust in public health and science.
Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), Chair, House Republican Policy Committee; Co-Sponsor, Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act, shared his views on the biggest challenges to healthcare for small businesses, transparency around food ingredients and preservatives, and how to make America healthier.
In his Sponsor Perspective, John O’Brien, President and CEO, National Pharmaceutical Council focused on the importance of continuing to develop good policies to foster innovation.
Mark Cuban, Co-Founder, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, PBC & Entrepreneur shared the successes of his Cost Plus Drugs company and his efforts to make drugs affordable and accessible. He credited transparency for the business’ success in a competitive marketplace. “We keep on winning, we keep on saving lives…”
The final panel – Women’s Health Check-up – featured Robert Egge, Chief Public Policy Officer, Alzheimer’s Association®; Linda Goler Blount, MPH, President & CEO, Black Women’s Health Imperative; and Kathryn Godburn Schubert, President & CEO, Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) focused on how social determinants disproportionately impact health outcomes for Black and Brown women. The panel emphasized the importance of centering diversity, equity, and inclusion in caring for marginalized populations.
The event was co-hosted by staff at The Hill: Bill Sammon SVP, Editorial Content; Steve Scully, Contributing Editor; Julia Manchester, National Political Reporter; and Kacie Brady, Senior Events Manager.
Prior to the main program, the Alliance hosted an invite-only roundtable discussion on the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act. “Hard Pill to Swallow: An EPIC Solution to Medicare Drug Price Negotiation” welcomed leaders from the patient advocacy community and industry. The bill’s co-sponsor Rep. Don Davis (R-NC) was present at the breakfast meeting, talking about some of the challenges to his district and calling his support of the EPIC Act a no-brainer.
Photos by Greg Nash.
Learn more about the EPIC Act with the Alliance’s one-pager from this event.