Cato Institute Conference on Health Care Reform
Featuring
The Cato Institute invites you to participate in a one-day conference, featuring health care experts from across the political landscape, on the state and future of health care reform in America. Even before the results of the 2008 elections were known, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., were preparing some of the most sweeping health care reforms America has seen in decades.
The need for changes could not be clearer. Health care costs are growing unsustainably. And, while America leads the world in medical innovations and responsiveness to patients, there are large deficiencies in many areas, including the frequency of medical errors, and patients losing their health insurance at the very moment they need it most. Further, much of the U.S. health care sector lacks basic advances that have been incorporated by other parts of America's economy, electronic recordkeeping in particular. Why isn't the marketplace fixing these problems? Will the reforms being crafted in Congress improve this picture, or make these problems even more acute?
Cato has assembled an outstanding group of recognized experts and distinguished speakers for a significant one-day examination of the issues surrounding this year's health care reform effort. We hope you'll be able to join us.
Conference Schedule:
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. |
Registration |
9:00 – 9:30 a.m. |
Opening Remarks |
9:30 – 10:00 a.m. |
Health Care Reform: the Long-Term Perspective Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) will discuss the impacts of various possible health care reforms. What positive reforms could be done? What will happen if we pass the wrong reforms? And what would the cost be of no reform at all? |
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. |
Panel 1: Should Congress Mandate Coverage? Among reformers seeking universal health insurance coverage, a legal requirement that individuals purchase and/or that employers offer health insurance is a potential area of compromise. How will mandates affect the insured and uninsured, employers and workers, and the cost and quality of health care? |
11:00 – 11:15 a.m. |
Break |
11:15 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. |
Panel 2: Where Does Delivery-System Reform Fit? The rising cost of health care is not the only problem crying out for reform. Health care quality in America falls far short of what it could be. How will reform affect the way clinicians practice medicine and the quality of care patients receive? |
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. |
Lunch |
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. |
Luncheon Address: Perspectives on reform from the U.S. Congress Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), and Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), will each offer his opinion on how health care ought to be reformed and how health care will be reformed, as well as the challenges reform faces in Congress. Afterward, John Reichard, Editor of CQ Healthbeat, will moderate a joint question and answer session. |
2:15 – 3:30 p.m. |
Panel 3: Another Government Health Insurance Program? A major sticking point is whether Congress should create a new government health insurance program to compete with private insurers to cover Americans not yet eligible for Medicare. Is fair competition between public and private insurance feasible? And how would it affect the cost and quality of care? |
3:30 – 3:45 p.m. |
Break |
3:45 – 5:00 p.m. |
Panel 4: Is There a Free-Market Alternative? At the White House summit on health care reform, President Obama said, “If there is a way of getting this done where we're driving down costs and people are getting health insurance at an affordable rate, and have choice of doctor, have flexibility in terms of their plans, and we could do that entirely through the market, I'd be happy to do it that way. Are there free-market reforms that can meet those goals? Can the market reform health care? |
5:00 – 5:45 p.m. |
Reception |
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