Health4all : Health Care Reform: A Meeting of the Minds

Health4all

Every year more Alaskan families lose health insurance and can't afford health care. Every year more families with health insurance cannot afford to use it because of expensive out-of-pocket charges. Every year more Alaskan elders with Medicare are refused treatment by local physicians. And every year health care in Alaska continues to cost 30 percent more than down south. These problems are a reflection of the crisis across the nation. Not surprisingly, the United States ranks last in preventable deaths compared to 14 Western European nations. We have a lot to talk about.

Lawrence D. Weiss retired from UAA in 2004 as a research professor in public health. He designed and built the Master of Public Health program at UAA, and has published three books and numerous articles on public health and health policy issues. He completed a post-doctoral degree at Harvard School of Public Health in 1982, and has been in Alaska ever since. His favorite expression is "facts matter." Occasionally he can be found in a local pub drinking beer and eating pizza while engaged in passionate conversation with friends.

Health Care Reform: A Meeting of the Minds

Posted by health4all

Posted: February 17, 2009 - 12:09 pm

Recently, Families USA hosted its annual conference, Health Action 2009, in Washington D.C. The national grassroots meeting running from January 29-31 gathered over a thousand health care advocates from around the country to address health policy topics including Medicaid, Medicare, prescription drugs, the uninsured and universal coverage.

Speakers included members of both the Senate and House of Representatives as well the White House Office of Health Care Reform, health care professionals and advocates, and respected members of the media. Workshops focused on several different aspects of health care reform, ranging from affordable access to quality, to unifying states' efforts and financing.

For a full list of workshops that includes links to many valuable reports, click here. To view webcasts of the plenaries, click here.

Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

posted by K.L., ACPP Project Coordinator