Former House Speaker John Boehner will deliver a keynote address at HIMSS17, HIMSS announced.
HIMSS has also revealed that IBM CEO Ginni Rometty will deliver the opening keynote and TV’s Shark Tank sharks Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary will speak on Thursday.
Boehner, who spent 25 years in Congress after four years in the Ohio state legislature, became the 53rd speaker of the House in 2011. The Ohio Republican is known for being a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act and he was also instrumental in replacing the Sustainable Growth Rate doctor payment fix with the Merit-Based Incentive Program. He helped draft that legislation, intended to be politically-centered to ease tensions in Congress, with both President Obama and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Boehner also worked to address rising health insurance premiums, including the effect they had on small businesses and individuals no longer able to see their doctor due to lack of access.
He supported limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 in damages, voted in favor of the Small Business Health Fairness Act to enables establishment of associations for buying insurance, and voted yes on tax-exempt Medical Savings Accounts.
Boehner also stood up to pork-barrel spending, and took a stand as part of the so-called “Gang of Seven” to expose corruption in the House of Representatives.
Boehner stepped down from his seat in October 2015 and currently works as a Strategic Advisor at Washington, D.C.-based law firm Squire Patton Boggs, known for its lobbying work. And he serves on Reynolds American’s board for corporate governance, nominating and sustainability.
Boehner is scheduled to take the stage at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017.
HIMSS17 runs from February 19-23 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
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