The United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world. In 2009, the U.S. spent $ 2.53 trillion on health care, roughly the equivalent of France's entire GDP. Despite this spending, the United States is ranked 12th in life expectancy for males and 16th for females. Successive administrations have attempted comprehensive health care reform since 1912; President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in 2009–10, is the first to be enacted. In this talk, Prof. Zeke Emanuel, MD, PhD, former health care advisor for the Office of Management and Budget, described the pressing need for health care reform, the key innovations in the ACA, and how they are likely to impact the actual delivery of care. From improving efficiency with "inter-operable" electronic health records to restructuring care delivery to improve outcomes and lower cost, Prof. Emanuel provided an insider's view of the vision driving health care reform, the challenges looming, and the future of American medicine.
After Dr. Emanuel's talk, commentator Prof. Stephen T. Parente, PhD, MPH, from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, offered a different perspective, followed by a moderated Q&A session.
Video is not available for this lecture.
Commentator:

Stephen Parente, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
Director of Medical Industry Leadership Institute
University of Minnesota