British, U.S. Summit on Universal Access to Health Care

NEW YORK CITY, April 24 - Providing basic and affordable health care to all residents is a goal shared by the United States and Britain, but making it work has been an exercise in frustration for both nations.

A conference tomorrow and Friday at The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), "The Changing Health Care System: A British-American Dialogue," will bring together medical, economic and political experts from the U.S. and the U.K to compare their nations' health care systems and learn from each other.

In the U.S., approximately 43 million people are today without health insurance, and those who do have insurance face drastically rising costs. A national health insurance program was proposed by former President Clinton, but died a blistering defeat in 1994.

The U.K., in contrast, does have a universal care system, funded by taxpayers. Yet that arrangement -- called the National Health Service -- has been criticized for providing crowded, understaffed hospitals and inconsistent care. A report last week in The New York Times said that Britain's hospitals have become so overloaded and understaffed that patients are being sent to France and Germany.

"It is truly shameful that the U.S., the most advanced country in the world, continues to deprive its citizens of one of the most fundamental goods: access to health care," said Dr. Alan Fleischman, Senior Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs at NYAM, and a speaker at the event. "Perhaps we can learn from our British colleagues how to be more inclusive in health care without compromising quality and outcomes."

The symposium is jointly sponsored by The New York Academy of Medicine and The Royal Society of Medicine. It will take place Thursday, April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday, April 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Speakers will discuss topics including: how well the universal health care program is working in the U.K.; whether such a program is achievable in the U.S.; whether Britain's current system of funding health care through general taxes, is working; and, the rationing of health care.

Congress has incrementally expanded health insurance programs in recent years, with initiatives including the Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997. Yet the overall number of uninsured has continued to grow. Universal health care re-emerged as an important topic in Congress last April after U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, introduced a resolution directing Congress to enact legislation by 2004 that would guarantee health care access for every U.S. resident. That resolution had 40 co-sponsors.

Conference participants from the U.K. include: Dame Deirdre Hine, President of the Royal Society of Medicine and Chairman of the U.K.'s Commission for Health Improvement; Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health of England; John Appleby, Director of the Health Systems Programme for the King's Fund in the U.K.; and, Sir Brian Jarman, Emeritus Professor in the Division of Primary Care at London's Imperial College.

Speakers from the U.S. include: Dr. Jeremiah Barondess, president of the New York Academy of Medicine; Stuart Altman, Ph.D., the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at the Heller Graduate School of Brandeis University; Karen Davis, President of The Commonwealth Fund; Bradford Gray, Ph.D., Director of NYAM's Division of Health and Science Policy; and, Dr. Mark Chassin, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Health Policy at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Please e-mail kcervino@nyam.org or phone 212.822.7285 to be included on the media list. See the complete program online.

The New York Academy of Medicine is a non-profit organization founded in 1847 that is dedicated to enhancing the health of the public through research, education and advocacy, with a particular focus on disadvantaged urban populations.

Posted on April 24, 2002

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Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
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amartin@nyam.org

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