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The Role of Academic Health Centers
in Health Care Reform
2006 Annual Meeting
San Antonio, Texas
New Ideas and Political Realities?
Mark Schmitt, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation
Political analyst Mark Schmitt presented his vision of American politics in the near future, and provided an idea of how health reform might proceed in that context.
Schmitt anticipated a Democratic takeover of Congress, and speculated about what might happen after such an outcome. In any case, he argued, we will be seeing significant changes in the way Congress works.
"The American middle class is living with anxiety over the rising costs of their health care and insurance."
A central issue for policymakers in the coming years will be growing economic anxiety among middle-class Americans. Health care and insurance are closely tied to this sense of anxiety, and these issues will become increasingly difficult to avoid. It will also become increasingly difficult to avoid the question of taxes-significant health care reform will require resources that our government does not currently have, and this will need to be addressed. Schmitt suggested that, depending on how bold the new leadership in Washington is, we might even see an effort to reform and restructure the entire tax system.