A conversation with Dave Durenberger on health care reform

[from www.HealthNewsReview.org]

One week after the inauguration of President Donald Trump we sat down with one of the most knowledgeable politicians regarding health care to serve in the US Senate over the past half century.

David Durenberger served as a Republican senator for Minnesota from 1978 to 1995. He was frequently labeled as either a “moderate” or “progressive” and is the only Republican senator from Minnesota to serve three terms. He was a chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence as well as the Health Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee. He’s also a former chair of the National Institute on Health Policy at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

But through the years — much like his contemporary Senator Ted Kennedy — Durenberger became best known for his intrepid commitment to healthcare reform. Like Kennedy, he also has endured his share of scandal. He pleaded guilty in 1995 to misuse of public funds and asked for (and got) the unanimous censure of his colleagues.

Now, at age 82, Durenberger continues to be sought out for his counsel on healthcare reform. It's probably not just his wisdom that people are after, but also his candor and passion, which are in full display in this interview. A broader blog post about the interview appears on our site:

http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2017/02/two-veteran-views-on-health-care-reform-a-politician-a-journalist/