Talk by Don Freedman -- Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education -- December 1, 2005
[December 2, 2005]
Donald N. Freedman

Don Freedman co-chaired (with Attorney Emily Starr, of the firm of Ciota, Starr & Vander Linden, of Worcester and Fitchburg), a conference entitled "Elder and Disability Law Conference 2005" in Boston, on December 1, 2005.

Every year since 1984, Don and Emily have co-chaired an "advanced topics" conference on elder and disability law for attorneys under the auspices of MCLE, Inc., the official continuing legal education program of the Massachusetts bar. Keynote speaker Deborah H. Thomson, an attorney and a principal of the PASS Group, a legislative and administrative consulting organization, briefed the 125 attendees on the latest developments on the federal and Massachusetts state legislative fronts. Don spoke on the implications for clients of the different House and Senate versions of Medicaid eligibility changes now pending in Congress. Diane Paulson, of the Medicare Advocacy Project, spoke on initial implementation of the Medicare prescription drug program. Emily Starr spoke on the state's restrucuring on home and community based programming under MassHealth. And lastly, attorneys Kathleen Lewallen Fitzgerald, Mala M. Rafik and Clare D. McGorrian spoke on problems in coverage, benefits and coordination in accessing health insurance benefits for elders and people with disabilities.

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