May 9 Forum: Why are Healthcare Prices So High, and What can be Done about Them?

Upcoming Event

May 9 Forum: Why are Healthcare Prices So High, and What can be Done about Them? Nearly a fifth of the United States’ economy goes to healthcare spending – a far larger share than in any other large, wealthy country in the world. Research suggests that price, rather than the volume of services, is the main driver of this disparity, and price is also a primary factor in pushing up the nation’s health spending over time. At 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday May 9, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Peterson Center on Healthcare will hold a forum focused on healthcare prices. Experts in healthcare economics, delivery, and policy will examine reasons behind high prices and variation, how other countries address healthcare prices, and practical strategies in the U.S. At the forum, two new analyses will be released examining healthcare prices and utilization in the U.S. compared to other countries, and variations in prices in employer plans over time and by geography. The forum will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (due to construction near KFF’s Barbara Jordan Conference Center). KFF Senior Vice President for Health Reform Larry Levitt will moderate, and Peterson Center on Healthcare Executive Director Jay Want, MD, and KFF Vice President Gary Claxton will provide opening and framing remarks. Additional participants include:  Gerard Anderson, Professor of Health Policy and Management and Professor of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Lawrence Brown, Professor of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Jenny Bryant, Senior Vice President of Policy and Research, PhRMA James C. Capretta, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Cynthia Cox, Director of the Program for the Study of Health Reform and Private Insurance, KFF Patricia Danzon, Professor of Health Care Management, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Martin S. Gaynor, Professor of Economics and Health Policy, Carnegie Mellon University Kris Haltmeyer, Vice President for Health Policy and Analysis, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Robert Murray, former Executive Director of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission Robin Osborn, Vice President and Director of the International Program in Health Policy and Practice Innovations, Commonwealth Fund When: Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 9:00 -11:30 a.m. ET (Registration and breakfast begins at 8:15 a.m. ET) Where: The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Horizon Ballroom 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.