Despite having developed distinct health care systems, Germany and the United States are facing similar challenges: guaranteeing access and stimulating medical innovation while managing costs and dealing with demographic change. The shortcomings of today’s system in Germany and the US are evident. Reforming these complex systems is proving exceedingly difficult, however. Innovative answers often get bogged down in the details of reform. What would happen if health care experts from different fields could design a superior health care system from scratch? That is precisely what we will ask this panel to do. What principles for health care in the 21st century will they come up with? Let’s find out.

Speaker:

Annette Widmann-Mauz Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health

Annette Grüters-Kieslich MD, PhD, Professor for Paediatrics, Dean of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

William Hsiao Professor at Harvard School of Public Health, focus on comparative health care systems

Katharina Janus PhD, MBA, assistant professor at Columbia University’s department of health policy & management