Continuing Education Press Releases

Your Health and Your Wallet: What Will Health Reform Really Do?

Free U of U Event on Aug. 16, 2012 Helps Families Navigate Health Reform

June 27, 2012 – As the health care debate takes center stage for this year's presidential election, a free event at the University of Utah will help Utahns understand the implications for their budgets, their retirement and their families.

Presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Utah on Aug. 16, 2012, Healthcare Reform and You: Where We're Headed and What it Means will focus on current and proposed health reform policies and their implications for the economy, public health and the welfare of citizens.

"There's so much political rhetoric going around about health care reform," said Mary Jo Westien, member of Osher at the U. "These decisions could have big impacts on our lives and our families and we need the straight story."

Featuring a keynote from Dr. Robert Huefner, U of U Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Healthcare Reform and You is free and open to anyone over 50, and will place special emphasis on clarifying information for people nearing or in retirement.

"At a time in our lives where access to health care is vital, understanding the future of our health policy becomes a central issue," said Cathy House, director of Osher at the U.

"How do the plans on the table affect the availability of services, or the out-of-pocket costs for office visits, medications or hospitalization?" added Westein. "These are essential questions when you're on, or even planning for, a fixed-income retirement."

With graduate degrees from MIT and Harvard, health policy has been a major focus of Dr. Huefner's administrative and academic career in government planning, organization, and finance. A recipient of the National Governors' Association Award for Distinguished Service to State Government, Huefner served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, chaired the committee establishing the independent Utah Department of Health, and held the Matheson Presidential Chair in Health Care at the U of U for over a decade.

"Health care costs twice as much in the United States as in other nations, yet our health is not better," said Huefner. "Is this a matter of medicine, politics, economics, or culture?"

Over 47 million Americans are covered by Medicare with over 100 million claims filed each month. Over the next 10 years, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act would cut payments to Medicare Advantage by $132 billion, home healthcare by $40 billion and payments to hospitals by $22 billion. However, the bill also enhances benefits for prescription-drugs, preventative medicine, and annual wellness visits for seniors — which could potentially save Medicare over $200 billion dollars by 2020 according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has pledged to repeal the act if elected this fall.

"It takes work to separate fact from fiction, to make informed decisions in our lives, in our retirement planning and at the voting booth," said Huefner.

Healthcare Reform and You: Where We're Headed and What it Means will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2012 at Rice Eccles Stadium. The event is free and open to anyone aged 50 and over, but RSVP is required and can be made by calling 801-585-5442 or online at www.osher.utah.edu.

About Osher

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at The University of Utah provides opportunities for intellectually stimulating, affordable, non-credit learning and for meaningful social engagement to people 50 and over. It is part of a network of over 100 Osher Institutes at colleges and universities across the country, all funded by the Bernard Osher Foundation. For more information, registration dates, and course offerings, contact the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at (801) 585-5442 or visit www.osher.utah.edu to download a program catalog.

Continuing Education at the U enriches the lives of people of all ages in the greater community and beyond by providing extraordinary learning opportunities from the university. The division encompasses nine programs: Academic Non-Credit, Lifelong Learning, Exam/Test Preparation, Professional Education, Technology Education, Youth Education, Distance Education, the Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning and the English Language Institute. Founded in 1911, Continuing Education offers credit and non-credit courses that serve over 30,000 students annually from around the world. Information about each of Continuing Ed's programs can be found at www.continue.utah.edu.