Welcome to this important conference on tobacco control. I am Dan Wolfson, president of The HMO Group, one of the sponsors of this conference. First, I should like to describe the framework for the conference, and then introduce our keynote speaker.

During this conference, presentations will include effective practices in primary care from health plans as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Health plans which link to community resources to improve primary care practices and conduct community education will also be described.

Several presenters will focus on the public health policy debate that will occur during this session of Congress. …