The Binghamton University School of Management will host the 11th annual Binghamton Symposium on Health Care Management and Policy from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow in Old University Union room 120.

The theme of this year’s event is “Health Care Reform: Retrospect and Prospect.” The Symposium will consist of guest speakers who will focus on topical issues in the health care industry and how they will affect New York State and the Binghamton community, according to Manas Chatterji, the event’s organizer and a professor in SOM.

Chatterji has organized the Symposium around a particular theme each year. Last year’s topic was nursing homes.

“The goal of this year’s event is to look at [health care] from academic, professional and common citizens’ point of view and assess its economic impact on the local economy,” Chatterji said.

This year’s event will include talks about professionals in health care, hospital administrators, insurance company executives, public officials, non-profit organizations and private citizens.

“Based on the comments of the past participants, I found it was extremely beneficial and informative to the participants and the local community to have a total view of health care problems and how to deal with it,” Chatterji said.

The keynote speaker for the Symposium is Jim Tallon, president of United Hospital Fund in New York City. Tallon also served as a state Assemblyman from 1975 to 1993, representing a Binghamton-area district. He was chairman of the Assembly’s Health Committee from 1979 to 1987.

He will deliver a lecture titled “Health Care in the Bull’s Eye: Policy, Politics, and People.”

“The premise of my speech will be long-term issues in health care,” Tallon said. “I will cover topics such as the Affordable Care Act, and the issue of debt and deficit reduction.”

He said that the Symposium is important because it brings to light important topics that do not always receive first priority in politics.

“The economy and jobs take center stage right now,” Tallon said. “But, health care is important, too. And it was a big factor in the 2010 elections.”

Tallon said he has attended the Symposium a few times previously and thinks it is a great way for the community and its leaders to come together and discuss significant topics.

“It is a good opportunity for people to step back and listen to each other in the midst of all this debate,” Tallon said.

Chatterji concurred.

“Based on the comments of the past participants, I found it was extremely beneficial and informative to the participants and the local community to have a total view of health care problems and how to deal with it,” Chatterji said.

Tallon stressed how important it is to find a solution to health care problems.

“We need to figure out how to move forward from here,” Tallon said. “Health care will be one of the looming issues no matter who wins.”