Place: 5310 Chamberlin (Refreshments will be served)
Speaker: Linda Reivitz, UW School of Nursing
Abstract: Health care reform, and ideas for national health insurance, have been part of our national dialogue at least since 1912, when the idea was proposed by Theodore Roosevelt . We're still talking about health care reform today. But what is health care reform. And what are we 'reforming' anyway. Is 'reform' going to happen. What would change if it did. Of all the reform ideas now being discussed, which one is 'best'? And how many people are really uninsured? The answers to these questions will be discussed by Linda Reivitz, an instructor of health policy in the UW School of Nursing and former legislation aide on Capitol Hill. Says Reivitz: as I write this in late September, two things are clear: first, the world of 'health care reform' will surely be a lot different in December, 2009 than it is today; and second, questions about public policy are rarely answered using the scientific method. Talking about health care and health reform to a seminar on Chaos and Complex Systems is totally apropos. For those who have an interest in comparing, across a number of characteristics and plan components, the leading comprehensive reform proposals being considered by the Congress, you can find this information at http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/healthreform_sbs_full.pdf