Description

At the end of the day the levers of power over health care decisions will be controlled either by individuals and their families, based upon their values, faith, and moral guidance, or by centralized bureaucracies, either public or private. When the state controls the system, it interrupts the principle of subsidiarity, i.e., not to usurp the proper functions of the individual, the family, the community, and the doctor-patient relationship. The United States can lead the way to developing a health care system that meets the challenges of the 21^st century. We can demonstrate how free-market solutions can create a health care system that supports individual freedom over health care decisions and that moves us closer to the goal of advancing the common good by respecting the dignity, the freedom, and the sanctity of human life.

Short bio of the speaker

Grace-Marie Turner is the founder and president of the Galen Institute, a public policy research organization that promotes informed debate of free-market ideas for health reform. She speaks and writes extensively about incentives to promote a more competitive, consumer-driven marketplace in the health sector. Mrs. Turner also serves as a member of the National Advisory Council of Healthcare Research and Quality. She is also the founder and facilitator of the Health Policy Consensus Group, which serves as a forum for analysts from market-oriented think tanks around the country to analyze and develop health policy recommendations. She is the editor of Empowering Health Care Consumers through Tax Reform, published by the University of Michigan Press.