Newswise — Health care policy advisors for U.S. Presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain will be featured on the Presidential Health Care Agenda forum at the 5th Annual World Health Care Congress, April 21-23 in Washington, D.C, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. The advisors will present and compare both candidates' health care reform plans, the prospect of universal coverage and fiscal stability of Medicare.

**The Presidential Health Care Agenda panel will take place on Monday, April 21, 10 a.m**

* Hear the Presidential candidates' platforms for health care reform* Compare proposals to address universal coverage and the fiscal stability of Medicare* Reactor panelists provide an in-depth critique by evaluating the economic and social impact of Democratic and Republican proposals* Media access to presenters following the forum

Panelists:* U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Health Care Policy Advisor to Sen. Barack Obama* Thomas Miller, resident fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Health Care Policy Advisor to Sen. John McCain

Reactor Panel:* George Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State, co-author "Putting Our House In Order: A Guide to Social Security and Health Care Reform" * George Halvorson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Hospitals* Uwe Reinhardt, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University

PROGRAM AGENDA GUIDE: http://www.whcc2008.comMEDIA REGISTRATION: http://www.whcc2008.com/mediareg

The Presidential Health Care Agenda is part of the 5th Annual World Health Care Congress, which brings together 1,800 CEOs, senior executives and government officials from the nation's largest employers, hospitals, health systems, health plans, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and leading government agencies. The 2008 Congress will also feature a keynote address by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt on "Building a Health Care System Based on Value" , Wednesday, April 23 at 11:30 a.m.

OTHER FEATURED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:Michael Leavitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesJames Hagedorn, CEO, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Delos (Toby) Cosgrove, MD CEO, Cleveland Clinic Denis Cortese, CEO, Mayo ClinicGreg Tullman, CEO, Allscripts Herbert Pardes, M.D. Chairman CEO, New York Presbyterian HospitalReed Tuckson, MD, EVP and Chief of Medical Affairs, UnitedHealth GroupGeorge Halvorson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Hospitals Mack Banner, CEO, Bumrungrad International (Thailand)Sam Nussbaum, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, WellpointDavid Cordani, President, CIGNA HealthCareUwe Reinhardt, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton UniversityU.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) health care policy advisor to Sen. Barack ObamaThomas Miller, health care policy advisor to Sen. John McCainCal Ludeman, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health and Human ServicesProf. Hans Rosling, MD, PhD Professor of International Health, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden)Michael Howe, CEO, MinuteClinicJames Roosevelt, President and CEO, Tufts Health Plan Paul Speranza, Chairman, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chairman and General Counsel, Wegmans Food Markets

Other emerging topics will cover innovations in health care delivery, value-based purchasing, personalized medicine and medical travel. Top CEOs, including Prof. Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School and Denis Cortese, MD, CEO of Mayo Clinic, will lead Executive Retreats designed exclusively for CEOs that address the most pressing challenges facing health care innovations and learning organizations, respectively.