In his now famous publication on the excess costs of healthcare in the U.S., Uwe Reinhardt concluded that when considering all known factors, there is only one consistent explanation for why Americans pay considerably more for their healthcare. For Reinhardt, we pay more simply because we have higher prices and the article was aptly named “Its the Prices Stupid.” During the presentation participants should expect to acquire a basic understanding of health policy reform for Reinhardt and the field of Health Services Research.
In Priced Out, Reinhardt argues that this is the result of major ethical questions in U.S. healthcare that have been left unanswered. Reinhardt summarizes these questions as: “To what extent should we be our brother’s keepers in healthcare?” Those that participate will be able to articulate Reinhardt’s dilemma in ethical terms familiar to evangelical settings.
For those of us interested in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ, I will argue that we must respond and that any gospel response must address three questions: 1) To what extent should the church engage with public institutions and what privately developed institutions are necessary? 2) Where do gospel ethics intersect with health policy and what involvement in health reform is required by the church? 3) How is human dignity to be applied when considering healthcare either as a consumption or social good? Those that participate will not be given the answer to Reinhardt’s dilemma, but rather a tangible way to provide an answer of their own.