Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > Faculty Experts at Washington University in St. Louis >
Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Expertise: Health care policy, health care costs, disparities in access to care, workforce issues
Bio:
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| William A. Peck |
Both Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin argue that the country needs to get more value for its healthcare dollars, but they differ on what changes would be most effective. Peck, an internist who has treated many patients, is a nationally recognized leader in health care. He served for 14 years as dean of the Washington University School of Medicine, as the University's Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and president of Washington University Medical Center, and now heads the Center for Health Policy. His many national activities include the chairmanship of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), service on the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Medicare Redesign and he is now Vice Chairman of Research!America. He says health care reform must address major and complex obstacles, such as the large number of uninsured and underinsured, the high and rapidly escalating costs of health care, the existence of significant racial and ethnic disparities in access, uneven quality and costly inefficiencies in the actual delivery of care, among others. And we must undertake this important work while preserving the substantial strengths of the health care industry in America. It is likely that we will have to spend more money in the short-term to obtain significant long-term results, including constraining the mounting costs. Peck can evaluate the pros and cons of the candidate's health care plans and weigh in on proposals to restructure American health care.
