[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 150 (Friday, August 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45394-45395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15599]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Meeting of the Citizens' Health Care Working Group

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and hearing.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, this notice announces a meeting and hearing of the 
Citizens' Health Care Working Group mandated by section 1014 of the 
Medicare Modernization Act.
    In addition, the Working Group will sponsor a community forum in 
which members of the working group will participate.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 16, 2005, from 1 
p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The community forum will be held on Tuesday August 
16, 2005, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The hearing will be held Wednesday, 
August 17, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Both Tuesday's meeting and Wednesday's hearing will be held 
at The Conference Center at Harvard Medical, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, 
Boston, MA 02115, in the Harvard Institute of Medicine (HIM) Meeting 
Room, First Floor.
    The community forum will be held at the same address in Harvard 
Medical's Amphitheater. The amphitheater is located on the ground 
floor.
    The meeting, community forum, and hearing are all open to the 
public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caroline Taplin, Citizens' Health Care 
Working Group, at (301) 443-1515 or [email protected]. If sign language 
interpretation or other reasonable accommodation for a disability is 
needed, please contact Mr. Donald L. Inniss, Director, Office of Equal 
Employment Opportunity Program, Program Support Center, on (301) 443-
1144.
    The agenda for these three Working Group events is available on the 
Citizens' Working Group Web site, http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov. 
Also available at that site is a roster of Working Group members. When 
transcriptions of the Group's August 16 and 17 meeting and hearing are 
completed, they will be available on the website.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1014 of Pub. L. 108-173, (known as 
the

[[Page 45395]]

Medicare Modernization Act) directs the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services (DHHS), acting through the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality, to establish a Citizens' Health Care 
Working Group (Citizen Group). This statutory provision, codified at 42 
U.S.C. 299 n., directs the Working Group to: (1) Identify options for 
changing our health care system so that every American has the ability 
to obtain quality, affordable health care coverage; (2) provide for a 
nationwide public debate about improving the health care system; and 
(3) submit its recommendations to the President and the Congress.
    The Citizens' Health Care Working Group is composed of 15 members: 
the Secretary of DHHS is designated as a member by the statute and the 
Comptroller General of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
was directed to appoint the remaining 14 members. The Comptroller 
General announced the 14 appointments on February 28, 2005.

Working Group Meeting Agenda

    The meeting on August 16 will be devoted to ongoing Working Group 
business. Topics to be addressed at this meeting include reports from 
Working Group Committees, plans for release of the required Report to 
the American People, a budget update and future scheduling plans.
    At the hearing on August 17, there will be four panels addressing 
these initiatives: Mental health; state, county and community health 
initiatives; employer initiatives; and end of life care.

Submission of Written Information

    In general, individuals or organizations wishing to provide written 
information for consideration by the Citizens' Health Care Working 
Group should submit information electronically to 
[email protected]. The Working Group invites submissions that 
address the topics to be addressed at the August 16th meeting listed 
above. Since all electronic submissions will be posted on the Working 
Group Web site, separate submissions by topic will facilitate review of 
ideas submitted on each topic by the Working Group and the public.
    This notice is published in less than 15 days of meeting & hearing 
dates due to the logistical difficulties.

    Dated: August 2, 2005.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 05-15599 Filed 8-3-05; 12:28 pm]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M