T.R. Reid Wows the Crowd

  

The first official day of the Annual Meeting kicked off with a plenary session by T.R. Reid, American author, well-known reporter, documentary filmmaker and commentator on NPR's Morning Edition.  T.R.'s presentation was both lighthearted and thought-provoking as he recanted his experiences with health care around the world while completing his book, "The Healing of America" and PBS documentary "Sick Around the World".   T.R. compared four different health care models, their characteristics, pros and cons, and what his experiences were with each.  He pointed out the myriad downfalls of the current U.S. system, most notably that the U.S. spends the most on health care and Americans have the worst health of industrialized nations. From his vast experiences and research, T.R. concluded that the best system is one that covers health care for all individuals from cradle to grave.  This in turn makes preventative care something that heath care providers are invested in, therefore driving down costs and improving health in the long term.  As T.R. concluded his speech, he kindly summed up his book for the audience in one sentence: "If we could find the will to provide health care for everyone, the other countries could show us the way".  This conclusion brought the audience to their feet...a great way to start the week!