An Economic Forum in the U.S. Involving Businesses, Trade Unions, NGOs, & the Bush Administration: a disability perspective
By Lex Frieden (lfrieden@bcm.tmc.edu)
On August 12, 2002, I had the exceptional honor to be among 240 people selected to participate in an Economic Forum convened by U.S. President George W. Bush. The meeting was held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, near the President's Texas ranch at Crawford. Both President Bush and Vice President Cheney participated in the forum, along with a host of Cabinet officials.
Among the invited participants at the forum were corporate CEOs, small business owners, trade union leaders, nonprofit association presidents, and just regular folks. The purpose of the forum was to generate and discuss ideas about maintaining a strong economy in the United States. From my vantage point, the forum met its objective in this regard. It also served as a platform to communicate the Bush Administration's commitment to working across the broad spectrum of public and private interests to address issues which are pertinent to the economic security of our country.
Diversity
I was impressed with the diversity of the participants and the breadth of the agenda. I was also impressed by the depth and substance of the discussion and by the efforts of the small group leaders to insure that everyone had the opportunity to be actively involved in the discussions. Finally, I was most impressed by the fact that President Bush visited our small group on Health Care Security, engaging in the discussion, asking questions, making notes, and adding pertinent comments.
The forum day started with breakfast at the Waco Convention Center. The venue then moved to the campus of Baylor University where we spent two hours in small groups divided among eight major areas which are critical to the economy. I participated in the small group on Health Care Security which was led by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson. After the small groups met, a plenary session was held where each group reported and where President Bush gave a well-received keynote address. Following the plenary, a luncheon was held for all the participants. President Bush stopped by each table at the luncheon and visited with everyone who was there. In the afternoon, many of us participated in interview sessions and meetings with representatives of the press. Altogether, it was a full day.
National Infrastructure Needed for Personal Assistance
During the small group session on Health Care Security, I had the opportunity to contribute a number of thoughts focused on personal assistance services, long-term care, and rehabilitation. Secretary Thompson and the other participants seemed particularly interested in my thoughts about the importance of consumer-directed care and choice. I noted that a majority of the 1.5 million people living in nursing homes in the United States today would probably not be there, if they had a choice. I emphasized the need for our country to develop a comprehensive infrastructure of personal assistance and other community-based support services to provide assistance for people in their homes if needed, so that everyone could have a choice if they are confronted with living in an institution or a nursing home.
In addition to my thoughts on long-term care, I shared my view that cost control efforts by public and private health insurers has resulted in shortening the length of stay for patients in hospitals, which I believe is generally a good thing. However, I pointed out that in the case of medical rehabilitation particularly, the shortened stays sometimes have perverse consequences when they result in discharging patients before their rehabilitative education and training is complete.
I am convinced the Waco forum was more than a public relations "road show." Indeed, I observed a cross section of the American public represented at the meeting, including people with disabilities. I also observed serious contributions by well-informed Cabinet members, and exceptionally keen observations from President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Understanding: Prerequisite to Action
Since the forum, I have had the opportunity for further discussion with Bush Administration officials about some of the issues which I and others raised related to long-term care and other disability matters. Clearly, the Bush Administration understands the relationship between disability policy, disability-related expenditures, disincentives to independence by people with disabilities, and the economy at large. I believe that understanding is a prerequisite to action, and the depth of understanding by forum participants gives me confidence that on-going action to increase choice and improve opportunities for people with disabilities will continue in the current environment.
I congratulate the Bush Administration for organizing this important event. I am grateful to have been a part of the forum and even more grateful that the Administration included people with disabilities in the proceedings. In my experience, we are rarely included in this sort of "mainstream" activity at any level. The inclusion of people with disabilities in the President's Economic Forum demonstrates a great deal of understanding and commitment to our issues by President Bush and the members of his Administration.
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