Oral

The Presidential candidates stimulated discussion of health care reform, but their initial proposals failed to achieve universal coverage, control costs, or improve quality. This presentation reviews how public health advocates and campaigns for other elected offices, including Congress and state offices, influenced the debate. It also assesses how public health can move the issues forward in 2009.

Session Objectives: Participants will be able to identify: Proposals for advancing towards universal access to affordable, quality health care. How health care reform was addressed by candidates and advocates during the 2008 election. What issues were not addressed. Proposals for action in 2009.