Contact: Noah J. Bartolucci of The Aspen Institute, +1-202-736-2536; or Betsy Burton of TIME, +1-212-522-3651

More Than 100 Health Care Experts to Discuss The Very Latest in Health Reform, Policy, and Biotech

ASPEN, Colo., July 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Aspen Health Forum brings together more than 100 experts in health care, including world-class medical scientists and policymakers, to debate the merits of the Congressional and Administration health reform plans, the pros and cons of related tax proposals, the public plan, and the prospect of an independent board of medical experts to set federal health coverage policies. The latest issues in swine flu, food safety, and rising rates of obesity also top the agenda.

The Aspen Health Forum is the only gathering that affords everyday citizens the opportunity to exchange ideas on medical science and health care reform with Nobel laureates, health care industry leaders, health policy experts and federal decision makers. The event, held at the Aspen Institute campus in Aspen, CO, will run through July 27, 2009 and features:

-- Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute

-- Richard Stengel, Managing Editor, TIME

-- Dr. Patch Adams, Founder and Director, The Gesundheit! Institute

-- Dr. Peter Agre, Nobel Laureate and Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria

Research Institute

-- Dr. J. Michael Bishop, Nobel Laureate and Chancellor, UCSF

-- Dr. Deepak Chopra, Author and Founder, The Chopra Center

-- The Hon. Tom Daschle, Former Senate Majority Leader

-- Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases, NIH

-- Mark Ganz, President and CEO, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

-- Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

-- Goldie Hawn, Actress; Founder, The Hawn Foundation

-- Jeffrey Kluger, Senior Editor, TIME

-- Dr. Mehmet Oz, Author and Host of the upcoming television series, "The

Dr. Oz Show"

-- Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

-- Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland; President, Realizing

Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

-- Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC News Chief Medical Editor; Host, MSNBC's "Dr.

Nancy"

-- Ron Williams, Chairman and CEO, Aetna, Inc.

The event is open to the public and all are welcome. Full- and single-day passes are available. To register and for complete information about the Forum, including the program agenda and the full list of speakers, visit http://www.aspenhealthforum.org. Single-day passes can be secured by calling the conference registrar, (970) 544-7960. Additionally, individual tickets to evening exchanges can be purchased through http://www.aspenshowtickets.com or the Wheeler Box Office in Aspen.

The Forum is sponsored by AstraZeneca, PhRMA, Aetna and GE Healthcare.

TIME is a global multimedia brand that includes TIME magazine, the world's largest weekly newsmagazine, with a domestic audience of 20 million and a global audience of 25 million; four worldwide editions of TIME magazine, including TIME U.S., TIME Asia, TIME South Pacific, and TIME Europe, Africa & the Middle East; TIME.com, which draws 6 million unique visitors a month; and TIME's other brand extensions, including TIME Style & Design and TIME For Kids.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C., Aspen, CO, and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit http://www.aspeninstitute.org. SOURCE The Aspen Institute