Real Health Care Reform in 2009

With health care spending continuing to rise and an economy in crisis, what are the most promising ways forward to lower health care costs, improve care, and provide sustainable coverage? How will health care reform efforts unfold with the new Administration and new Congress? What are the public’s views of health care system challenges, and can new directions in public engagement enhance support for real health care reform?

To address these questions, Mark McClellan, director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings, brought experts and policy-makers together to discuss the prospects for reforming our nation’s health care system. Senator Max Baucus, D-Mt., gave opening remarks and four discussion panels followed, tackling the issues of quality and value, policy reforms, public views of health care reform, and political prospects and priorities for reform.

Also in conjunction with the event, the Engelberg Center released a white paper, “Real Health Care Reform in 2009: Getting to Better Quality, Higher Value, and Sustainable Coverage.”

Audio of Event Proceedings:

Welcome and Remarks » (.mp3)
Strobe Talbott
President, Brookings

Introductory Remarks » (.mp3)
Mark McClellan
Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform
Brookings

Opening Remarks: Political Prospects for Reform » (.mp3)
Sen. Max Baucus

Panel 1: Opportunities for Improving Health Care » (.mp3)
Donna Shalala – Moderator
Michael Porter, Harvard Business School
Don Berwick, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Carolyn Clancy, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Panel 2: Policy Reforms to Improve Health Care Delivery » (.mp3)
Mark McClellan – Moderator
Alice Rivlin, Brookings
Elliott Fisher, Dartmouth
Denis Cortese, Mayo Clinic

Panel 3: Talking About Reform: New Directions for Involving the Public » (.mp3) 
Susan Dentzer, Health Affairs – Moderator
Neil Newhouse, Public Opinion Strategies
Stan Greenberg, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
Jim Guest, Consumers Union

Panel 4: Moving Forward on Reform: Discussion and Political Perspectives » (.mp3)
Mark McClellan and Chris Jennings – Moderators
Sen. Richard Burr
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Closing Remarks » (.mp3)
Mark McClellan
Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform
Brookings

Read the full event transcript »