Princeton University

The Policy Research Institute for the Region (PRIOR) released its publication entitled, “Access to Universal Health Care: New Jersey, The Nation and the Globe.” The report is drawn from the conference held in the fall of 2008.

Senator Joseph F. Vitale, who is the sponsor of a universal health care initiative in New Jersey, opened the conference with a description of his approach. Then, he and New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard and NJ Business and Industry Association VP for Health and Legal Affairs Christine A. Stearns discussed aspects of the Senator’s proposal. They emphasized the problem of providing health care to people who are eligible for inclusion in the system, but are not enrolled, the challenge of making it affordable for small business owners to provide coverage for employees, and making a reform plan sustainable.

Princeton professor Uwe Reinhardt, Dr. Maggie Mahar, a Fellow at the Century Foundation, and Dr. Eziekiel J. Emmanuel of the National Institutes of Health discussed worldwide options for financing health care, the systems implemented in other countries, the need for comparative-effectiveness research, and a focus on sustainability that addresses costs and quality, as well as an effective delivery system for health care.

The luncheon address was delivered by Dr. Len Nichols, Director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, who discussed the prospects of national health care reform from a Washington perspective.

The final panel with Dr. Nancy Turnball, Dr. Merrill Mathews, and Brian Rosman discussed the Massachusetts experience—where health care is mandated for virtually all citizens-- and the lessons learned from their initiative.