Day Three Afternoon: Wednesday, 24 March 2004

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Executive Summary
GMF I Program
GMF II Program

Day One, Morning
Day One, Afternoon
Day Two, Morning
Day Two, Afternoon
Day Three, Morning
Day Three, Afternoon

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Plenary Session : The U.S. healthcare market at a critical point – again


Access, equity, quality, and affordability are the key issues that any healthcare system must confront and resolve. The preceding days of GMF III have suggested specific ways in which these goals can be reached and that there do exist clear pathways for health improvement. There has been nothing to suggest that the way forward will be easy, but the more deeply that the controversial problems are studied, the more amenable they will be for solution, provided all agree that rhetoric and blame alone will not be the fix.

There are many established obstacles to the above four issues which must be addressed in principle including ageing, changing insurance models and the emergence of new kinds of health consumers. Added into the mix will be the problem created by the success of healthcare: namely, that all people deserve to have that life be as good, productive and satisfying as possible. This is hardly a behavioral issue alone, but rather one that society is obligated to face.

Closing Plenary


After three days of intensive debate about the past, current and future situation of global healthcare by 180 participants from 30 countries, the final session will address the role of the most important ongoing forum for the healthcare debate: the press