Background Statement

PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE PUBLIC GOOD IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA

Introductory Statement
In times of misfortune, one often hears, "At least you have your health." Health is generally considered a necessary, although not a sufficient, condition of happiness. In the United States, however, staying healthy is becoming increasingly expensive. Healthcare costs have been rising at ten percent per year, and the average family health insurance premium is over $9,500 per year. Is it time to ask, "Can we afford good health"? Of course, this question begs another that is no less difficult or controversial: "What, exactly, constitutes health?"

In 1900, life expectancy in this country was 47 years, and the leading cause of death was infectious disease. Today it is 77 years, and we tend to die from chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. And so another incredibly complex question arises: how have changes in behavior, society, culture and even evolution contributed to these changes?

The United States spends 12 percent of its total Medicare budget on the last 30 days of life while the cost of prescription drugs is rising at an estimated rate of 17 percent per year. Is this sustainable? Are these conscious choices that we have made as a society or have advances in science and technology overwhelmed our ability to give thoughtful consideration to quality of life issues? What responsibility do we--as citizens and consumers--bear for the very real dilemmas that we confront? How might we begin to come up with some solutions?

These are some of the exceedingly challenging questions that this symposium will invite us to consider. Hampden-Sydney College and The Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest believe that a frank and informed dialogue on issues of healthcare, economics, and ethics can advance the thoughtful pursuit of happiness through the development of sound public policy.


The Wilson Center gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Hampden-Sydney College
Lectures and Programs Committee in the funding of this symposium. PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE PUBLIC GOOD IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA