Fed Chief Ben Bernanke read our minds. Speaking to a Senate Panel on Capital Hill today, Bernanke noted that the three main challenges facing health care reform are controlling costs, providing health care to the estimated 47 million Americans who lack coverage, and improving the quality of care. As this New York Times article reported:
"On the health care front, Mr. Bernanke did not recommend specific solutions, saying the difficult choices involved with improving access and quality and controlling costs were best left to policy makers in Congress, the White House and elsewhere."
Good thing Hope Street Group is launching our second Bipartisan Working Group on health care reform tomorrow! Each of these items are on our agenda, and so are the other priorities developed in the health care breakout group at our second annual colloquium. The stellar group of participants who will be at tomorrow's dinner are some of the policymakers who have been on the frontlines of the movement for comprehensive health care reform, including:
Senator Bob Bennett – Utah (R)
Victor Campbell – Senior Vice President, HCA
John Castellani – President, Business Roundtable
Guy Clifton M.D. – Senior Policy Advisor, New America Foundation
Representative Jim Cooper – Tennessee (D)
Representative Kay Granger – Texas (R)
Charles Kahn – President, Federation of American Hospitals
Bob Kocher – Principal, McKinsey & Co.
Peter Lee – Executive Director, National Health Policy Pacific Business Group on Health
Ken Mehlman – Managing Partner and Head of Global Public Affairs, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Janet Murguia – President and CEO, National Council of La Raza
Len Nichols – Director, Health Policy Program
Bill Novelli – CEO, AARP
Peter Orszag – Director, Congressional Budget Office
John Podesta – CEO, Center for American Progress
Leonard Schaeffer - former Chairman/CEO, WellPoint, Inc; Senior Advisor,
Texas Pacific Group; Chairman of the Board, Surgical Care Affiliates
Andy Slavitt – CEO, Ingenix
Senator Debbie Stabenow – Michigan (D)
Todd Stottlemyer – President, National Federation of Independent Businesses
Senator Ronald Wyden – Oregon (D)
Rich Umbdenstock – President and CEO, American Hospital Association
More on the outcomes from this session later....
