Symposium explores Truman’s health care legacy

Symposium explores Truman’s health care legacy - Harry S. Truman sitting on a table - Harry S. Truman

During Harry S. Truman’s 1945-53 presidency, he spent 175 days at the Key West residence known worldwide as his Little White House. Friday and Saturday, May 15-16, history and political aficionados can attend the Little White House’s Truman Legacy Symposium, titled “America’s Great Health Care Debate: The Legacy of Harry Truman and National Health Care.”   The 13th annual symposium is to explore Truman’s 1946 attempt to provide national health care and its effects on subsequent programs including Medicare and President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.   The keynote speaker is to be Dr. Robert Wah, president of the American Medical Association and a nationally recognized expert on health information technology. He practices and teaches at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health.   Other scheduled speakers include Claudia Anderson, supervisory archivist at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library; Dr. Michael Devine and Dr. Raymond Geselbracht, both formerly with the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Mo.; Steven Edwards and Dr. Harold Pollack of the University of Chicago; and Truman grandson and author Clifton Truman Daniel.   Events are to begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 15, with a reception and Wah’s keynote presentation on the grounds of the Little White House, 111 Front St. Meticulously restored to its appearance in Truman’s day, the property is Florida’s only presidential museum. Guided VIP tours are to be offered during the reception.   Saturday’s symposium events start at 8:30 a.m. in the conference center at the Marriott Key West Beachside Hotel, 3841 N. Roosevelt Blvd.   Scheduled presentations and panels spotlight topics including “LBJ, Medicare and Medicaid: Advancing the Truman Legacy,” “The Current State of Health Care in the U.S.” and  “Truman, National Health Policy and a Legacy of Government Activism.”

For event information and ticketing, visit www.trumansymposium.com or call 305-294-9911.