The Future of Health Care in California

Please click here to view Dr. King's presentation.
Please click here to listen to an audio archive of this event.

Featuring:

Dr. Don King, MD, JD
Senior Research Scholar
Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Seven-months into 2007 and California is already positioned to make this the "Year of Health Care." Numerous proposals have come before the legislature, many with the explicit aim of solving what has been called a crisis in California's health care system. Health care costs are rapidly increasing, and access to quality care is limited for some groups. Unfortunately, while everyone agrees a problem exists, few agree on the solution.

As the surviving proposals face increased scrutiny, it is easy to get bogged down in the details of the each plan. Should purchasing pool premiums be capped? Should small businesses be exempt? Is it a 'fee' or a 'tax'? These are important questions, and they must be addressed before California can move forward.

But as compromise is considered throughout the summer, it is imperative that policy makers consider how the proposals address the major questions facing health care reform - and not simply the specifics. Capital Campus California is pleased to provide a look at some of the overarching questions of the debate and how the proposals on the table purport to address those questions.

• Why are health care costs so high?
• How can more people have access to quality health care?
• Have similar reforms worked in other states?
• How does economics inform the various proposals?
• How do the current plans address these questions?

Dr. Don King, MD, JD, a Senior Research Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Emeritus Professor at the Medical College of Georgia, will address these topics. As a researcher and former practitioner, Dr. King will bring a unique perspective to California's health care situation, and provide participants with tools for understanding current and future health care proposals.