Report from the Health Care Community Discussion

The Samueli Institute convened a Health Care Community Discussion on December 29, 2008 to help guide wellness and integrated health care practices into the next health reform effort. This meeting was organized in response to a call for input on health reform by then-President-elect Obama, and it was hosted by Wayne Jonas, M.D. and the Systems Wellness Advancement Team (SWAT). SWAT is a group of leading health and policy experts in comprehensive lifestyle self-care and integrative health care practices, science, and policy. Click here to see the meeting agenda.

Over 150 professionals from a wide variety of disciplines participated, either in person at the Samueli Institute or via teleconference, in an engaging and productive discussion around:

specific questions requested by then-President-elect Obama in support of his goal to provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans, and
the Wellness Initiative for the Nation (WIN) concept, a white paper drafted for guiding wellness and integrative health care practices in the next health reform effort.

Meeting participants completed an online survey following the meeting, through which they provided responses to a survey and several open-ended questions, as well personal stories that emphasize the need for health care reform. This valuable feedback was compiled and collated into a group report on health care reform that was submitted to the Transition Health Policy Team.

Report from the Health Care Community Discussion

Executive Summary
Graphical summary of responses to survey questions
Poignant stories submitted by participants that emphasize the need for health care reform
Responses to Discussion Questions (click Question number to view responses)

Question 1: Briefly, from your own experience, what do you perceive is the biggest problem in the health system?

Question 2. How do you choose a doctor or hospital? What are your sources of information? How should public policy promote quality health care providers?

Question 3. Have you or your family members ever experienced difficulty paying medical bills? What do you think policy makers can do to address this problem?

Question 4. In addition to employer-based coverage, would you like the option to purchase a private plan through an insurance-exchange or a public plan like Medicare?

Question 5. Do you know how much you or your employer pays for health insurance? What should an employer’s role be in a reformed health care system?

Question 6. Have you received the preventive services you should have? If not, how can public policy help?

Question 7. How can public policy promote healthier lifestyles?

Group photo of in-person participants in the Health Care Community Discussion, 12/29/08