U.S. health care costs have been rising faster than its GDP for decades. The Affordable Care Act provided insurance coverage to millions of Americans but at a steep cost to taxpayers. Furthermore, insurance premiums for employer-provided health insurance and the middle class continue to skyrocket. This untenable situation has generated a groundswell of support for universal insurance coverage. However, advocates for public coverage may not realize that it takes many forms around the world, with each country experiencing different benefits and weaknesses.
At this conference, experts on health care in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Taiwan discussed the strengths and challenges of each system. They also explored which health care models might be appropriate for universal health insurance in the U.S.
This event was sponsored by the Baker Institute Center for Health and Biosciences. Follow @BakerInstitute on Twitter and join the conversation online with #Baker25th.
This event was part of the 25th anniversary commemorative programs featuring the centers and research of Rice University’s Baker Institute.
To view the entire conference, please click below:
Agenda
8:00 am
Breakfast
8:30 am
Opening Remarks
Farhan Majid, Ph.D.
L.E. and Virginia Simmons Fellow in Health and Technology Policy, Rice University's Baker Institute
8:45 am
After 70 years is the U.K. NHS still sustainable or will it have to change?
Anita Charlesworth
Director of Research and Economics, The Health Foundation, London
Dispatches from the North: The Good and Bad of Canadian Health Care
Mark Stabile, Ph.D.
Stone Chaired Professor in Wealth Inequality, Professor of Economics and Academic Director, The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Centre for the Study of Wealth Inequality, INSEAD, France
10:45 am
Break
11:00 am
The German healthcare system: history, values and challenges
Stephanie Stock, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Acting Director, Institute of Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology, University Clinic, University of Cologne, Germany
12:00 pm
Lunch
12:20 pm
Taiwan: A Single-Payer System
Chi-Man “Winnie” Yip, Ph.D.
Professor of the Practice of International Health Policy and Economics, Department of Global Health and Population, and Director, China Health Partnership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
1:20 pm
Closing Remarks
Farhan Majid, Ph.D.
L.E. and Virginia Simmons Fellow in Health and Technology Policy, Rice University's Baker Institute