UW-Madison Sets Symposium on the Ethics of Health Care Reform

Madison, Wisconsin - Rationing, trust in the health care system, fairness and cost-effectiveness - all played prominent roles in the nation's recent discussion of health-care reform.

With the passage and signing of landmark health-care reform legislation, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) will host a discussion of these key topics, with the expertise of internationally recognized experts in health care economics and policy.

"Reforming Health Care Ethically: Waste, Trade-offs and Rationing" will be held April 8 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the Health Sciences Learning Center in lecture auditorium 1306.  Seating is open and admission is free.

Professor Julian LeGrand, former chief advisor for health to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will address "Who Should we Trust for our Health Care: Doctors, Insurers or the Government?"  LeGrand holds a named professorship at the London School of Economics and has written dozens of books and articles on health and social policy.

The second keynote speaker, Prof. Dan Wikler of the Harvard School of Public Health, will discuss "Dilemmas in Health Care Rationing."  Wikler, formerly on the UW School of Medicine and Public Health faculty, will engage the audience on the ethical aspects of rationing health care resources. He was the first staff ethicist for the World Health Organization.

The two keynote speeches will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Gretchen Schwarze of UW School of Medicine and Public Health. The panelists will use the recent controversy regarding the Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for screening mammography as a basis to discuss the value of different strategies for allocation of health care dollars.

Panelists and their topics are as follows:

• Dr. Dan Hausman, professor of philosophy at UW-Madison: "Fairness, Cost-Effectiveness and Rationing"
• Dr. Jeff Grossman, senior associate dean for clinical affairs at UW School of Medicine and Public Health: "How We Do It"
• Dr. Tom Oliver, associate professor of population health sciences at UW-Madison: "How Others Do It"
• Dr. Stephanie Robert, UW professor of social work and population health sciences: "Non-Medical Determinants of Health".

Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and Dr. Norman Fost, professor of pediatrics and of medical history and bioethics, will provide introductory remarks.