The Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Lecture 2008: Prospects for Health Reform in 2009 and Beyond: 20th Anniversary Lecture (2009)

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Welcome ❧ Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D. Good evening everyone. I’m Harvey Fineberg and it is my great privilege to welcome all of you to the 2008 Rosenthal Lecture, here, at the Institute of Medicine. This lecture series dates back 20 years and it is only possible be- cause of the generosity of the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation. Hinda Rosenthal, until her death 2 years ago was a very active phi- lanthropist, who was especially concerned in fulfilling the work that she and her husband started in such areas as medical care (clinical medicine was his passion), the social sciences, and scientific research. Richard L. Rosenthal was a prominent member of the Presidents’ Circle of the National Academies, a corporate executive and private inves- tor, as well as a philanthropist with a wide range of interests, particularly in the intersection of the social sciences, medicine, and the humanities. After his death in 1998, in tribute to his memory and in recognition of his service, the Rosenthal family endowed this lecture series and named the President’s Suite of the Institute of Medicine. Tonight, we have a very special opportunity to continue the tradition of this lecture; to bring to our community a discussion of some of the most timely and significant issues in health policy of our day. I want to say at the outset that if you look at your program this evening, there is a typographic error on the times. It says welcome at 7:00, presentation at 7:25. I wanted to hasten to assure all of you here that it should read 7:05, lest you fear that I will continue indefinitely to sing the praises of those who do deserve 20 minutes of praise, the Rosenthals, but, my great privilege this evening is to welcome and introduce to you our speaker, Julie Rovner.  

 PROSPECTS FOR HEALTH REFORM IN 2009 AND BEYOND You all know her. She is a health policy correspondent for National Public Radio, specializing in the politics of health care. She also serves as a contributing editor for the National Journal’s CongressDaily. In 2005, she was recognized with the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distin- guished Reporter of Congress for her coverage of the passage of the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Bill and its aftermath. She’s also a prolific author and, indeed, I want to remind everyone and I believe you’ll find the announcements just outside, that the third edition of Julie Rovner’s book Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z, or as they say in England, A to Zed, has just been introduced and is available now to edify all of us. It is a kind of encyclopedia of health policy. Julie was actually born here, in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. She graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her degree was in political science. She resides now in North Bethesda, Maryland. Her topic for the evening, Prospects for Health Reform: 2009 and Be- yond, has gained increased momentum since this was discussed with her during the campaign. I’m sure many of you have heard through the course of this day of President Elect Obama’s announcement that Tom Daschle will be nominated to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services. So with great anticipation and with a great sense of pleasure, it is in- deed my privilege to welcome and introduce to you Julie Rovner.