Health Care Innovation in a Time of Fiscal Austerity
Channel: TechPolicy
Date: 2011-11-04

In both America and Europe increasing fiscal pressures are requiring a rethinking of many policy areas, including health care. And yet historically, America and Europe's leadership in life sciences innovation was linked in part to adequate expenditures on health care. Today that link is being challenged. As a result, policy makers who seek to control costs while enabling the needed advances in life sciences innovation must address new critical questions: How can healthcare benefit from the innovation which is typical of a free market economy? Is there a way in today's world to allow as many possible people to access up-to-date cures while not adding to the ever increasing burden on state finances? 

Participants:
Robert D. Atkinson
President, ITIF

Carlo Cottarelli
Director of Fiscal Affairs, International Monetary Fund

Nicholas Eberstadt
Henry Wendt Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Val Giddings
Senior Fellow, ITIF

Abraham Klink
Former Health Care Minister, Kingdom of the Netherlands

Michael Mandel
Chief Economic Strategist, Progressive Policy Institute

Alberto Mingardi
General Director, Istituto Bruno Leoni