Bob Rich Presentation on Health Policy

The Institute of Communications Research received a grant from the Ford Foundation's Division of Knowledge, Creativity & Freedom to study communication, culture, and policy--more specifically, to organize an interdisciplinary conversation on campus over the next 15 months about these three areas and how they intersect (or fail to intersect). A goal of the project is to identify policy-related faculty, units, and initiatives on campus, hold a series of introductory "briefings" on different policy arenas, and produce a campuswide policy resource directory and an annotated reading list to post on the project website.

I am pleased to announce that the first of these briefing sessions will be held on HEALTH POLICY this Friday, September 12, at 1:30 p.m. in the Peterson Conference Room (231 Gregory Hall). The very distinguished speaker will be Professor Bob Rich, a professor at the law school who also holds appointments in the College of Medicine, the Political Science Department, the Institute of Government and Public Affairs, and the Institute of Communications Research. The title of his talk is "Health Policy--Current Challenges and Opportunities." He will discuss how health policy is created (good question!) as well as how communication information and research is used in that process. In addition to teaching and publishing on health policy topics, he has worked in the field in a number of policy areas. From 1986 to 1997 he directed the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.

ABSTRACT Problem-solving mechanisms in the area of health policy are awry in the U.S. According to Professor Bob Rich, the problems we solve create worse problems. The dominant model of American health policy—aimed at working adults between the ages of 18-65—is a function of employment, not entitlement. Health care in the world's wealthiest nation is not a function of citizenship nor is it a guaranteed legal right as it is in so many European countries. Beginning with the Medicare and Medicaid policies of 1965 and continuing up to 2003, Professor Rich chronicles the chaotic and inconsistent development of health policy as it has played out in both the public and private sectors. In terms of effecting changes in health policy, Rich identifies the working uninsured as key players in the continuing struggle for universal health care.

BACKGROUND READING available at session.

Professor Robert Rich (rrich@law.uiuc.edu) joined the faculty of the College of Law in 1996. He teaches Health Law and Policy and the Legislative Projects Course. He is also the faculty advisor for the Illinois Law Update. Rich has a joint-appointment with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), where he was Director from 1986-1997. He is also appointed in the College of Medicine and the Political Science Department. He is currently Director of the Office of Public Management of IGPA. In addition, he serves as the coordinator for the local and state government strategic initiative of the Partnership Illinois Program. His research focuses on health law and policy, federalism and the role of the states, environmental policy, and science policy. He has published five books and forty articles. His major recent publications include: "Health Policy, Health Insurance, and the Social Contract" (Journal of Comparative Labor Law and Public Policy), Social Science Information and Public Policy-Making, the second edition of a book originally published in 1981, and "Rationality and Use of Information in Policy Decisions" (Science Communications). Professor Rich was also invited to give lectures on health law/policy and current trends in public administration in China (at Fudan University, Peking University, and Northwest University) and Germany (University of Hamburg and Postsdam University). He has also served as a consultant for a wide variety of federal and state government agencies. Rich received his B.A. (with high honors) from Oberlin College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Before joining the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1986, he was on the faculty at the University of Michigan, Princeton University, and Carnegie-Mellon University.

For more, visit http://www.law.uiuc.edu/faculty/DirectoryResult.asp?Name=Rich,+Robert