California Healthcare Institute to Host Conversation on Healthcare Reform with Former Secretary of State and Leading Economists.

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- The California Healthcare Institute (CHI) will host "A Conversation on Healthcare Reform and Income Security," Tuesday, April 29, 4:30-7:00 p.m. at Stanford University in the Francis C. Arrillaga Alumni Center - McCaw Hall, located at 326 Galvez Street in Stanford, Calif. The event will feature George Shultz, Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, and John Shoven, director, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, co-authors of Putting Our House in Order: A Guide to Social Security & Health Care Reform, and Victor Fuchs, Stanford University professor of economics and of health research and policy, emeritus, will moderate.

The rising costs of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are a major threat, not only to the health and well being of Americans, but also to the entire U.S. economy. The contentious debate about how to solve these problems has produced few substantive results, and as the 2008 presidential election approaches, the importance of finding a workable solution grows even larger. The American public must confront the crisis and practical solutions must be implemented soon in order to ensure access to healthcare, income for the elderly, and a sound economy for the future.

At this event, the biomedical community will engage in the debate and discuss some of the proposed solutions, including the Friedman Plan, the Fuchs-Emanuel Plan and President Bush's plan of 2007. Opinion leaders from academia, industry and government will discuss potential solutions that balance innovation with cost containment and patient access to information and technology.

"The future of medical research, including such promising areas as stem cell research, depends upon an environment that encourages innovation. Any approach to improving the current healthcare crisis must take into account the value of new technology, the inherent risk, enormous cost and long time horizon in developing drugs, medical devices and diagnostics, and improvements in public health," said David Gollaher, Ph.D., CHI's president and chief executive officer. "A system that is solvent, fair and dependable is attainable, but policymakers must act now."

"A Conversation on Healthcare Reform and Income Security" is sponsored by Fenwick & West LLP and hosted by David Gollaher, President and chief executive officer, CHI - California Healthcare Institute; Henry Nordhoff, Chairman and CEO, Gen-Probe, Incorporated; John Martin, President and CEO, Gilead Sciences; Ted Love, Chairman and CEO, Nuvelo; and Philip Pizzo, Dean, School of Medicine, Stanford University.

To register for this free event, please call [phone]. CHI represents more than 250 leading biotechnology, diagnostics, medical device and pharmaceutical companies and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI's mission is to advance responsible public policies that foster medical innovation and promote scientific discovery. CHI's Web site is www.chi.org.