America may be considered a world leader in many fields, but when it comes to health care, there’s still a long way to go, Dr. Quentin Young, a Feinberg alumnus and leading expert in health care reform, told a crowd of about 200 people at Harris Hall on Monday night.
As a part of the Northwestern Community Development Corps lecture series on race, poverty and equality, Young spoke on the importance of reforming health care in America.
Young started off his lecture by addressing the corruption in the current health care system.
“It is not that we do not have money,” Young said. “But our overall health standard is not even close to the best.”
Though the U.S. has more than twice as much money allotted for health care per capita than any other competing country, the American standard does not compare with that of England, France or Germany, leading industrialized countries with universal health care, Young said.
According to Young, the reason for the subpar quality of health care is a combination of bribes, sweetheart contracts and nepotism. Much of the money goes into the pockets of chief executives who have salaries of tens of millions of dollars per year. Additionally, Young said, much of the cost of health care is squandered in administrative costs, which make up 31 percent of the $2.3 trillion nationwide industry.
“There’s a huge distortion in the system,” Young said.
Young is pushing to abolish privatized health care and enforce single-payer health care. This would reduce administrative costs to 15 percent, which would be enough to provide coverage to the current population of uninsured Americans.
Young also spoke about the role of health care in the contemporary political scene. He compared the stances of three Democratic presidential candidates, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, on national health care reform. He said he disagreed with all three.
Of the three, Young was harshest on Clinton, who he believes did a “disastrous” job with health policy during her husband’s presidency.
Young said he believes health care in America should mirror an institution that is already in place in America: Medicaid.
“With the single-payer policy, everyone should be able to hold a card and be able to get treatment from any doctor,” Young said.
During a question-and-answer session, Young said the health care industry is inherently disingenuous, which is why the cost of health care has more than tripled in the past decade.
Many of the students who attended the speech said they were there to develop a better understanding of health care reform.
“I don’t know enough to form an opinion,” said Weinberg freshman William Mayers. “I’m here to learn more about the issue.”
Weinberg freshman Eddie Siegel said he still disagrees with universal health care after attending the lecture.
“He was a good speaker, but all he said was single-payer health care,” Siegel said. “I’m a healthy 18 year old. I don’t need health care insurance and shouldn’t have to pay for it.”
The next installment of the group’s lecture series is a panel featuring five speakers with varying perspectives on the issue of health care. The panel will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 in Annenberg Hall, room G15.
Reach Tiffany Wong at [email protected].
