Rep. Paulsen and Mike Allen discuss innovation's role in health care costs. Photo: Chuck Kennedy for Axios
Axios health care reporter Bob Herman and executive editor Mike Allen hosted a conversation on the cost of innovation in the health care ecosystem and how biosimilars, technology and policy will affect it.
Bob and Mike sat down with:
- The Honorable Sander Levin, U.S. Representative (D-MI-09)
Ranking Member, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health - The Honorable Erik Paulsen, U.S. Representative (R-MN-03)
Member, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health - Dr. Kristian R. Olson, Director, Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Ms. Sabrina Corlette, Research Professor, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute


Dr. Olson, who's known as the 'The Man' of life-saving devices, tells Bob how CAMTech is making health care more accessible and affordable around the world.

Ms. Corlette on politics' role in health care costs: "American politics seems to value health care innovation—but not value itself. But actual people do."
Her take on the distribution of rising health care costs: “We’ve got this balloon and it’s being pushed around rather than shrunk.”

"Innovation is the primary path to lower health care costs."— Rep. Erik Paulsen

On the Affordable Care Act:
- Rep. Levin: “There are various ways to get to universal coverage. We took a big step forward, and that has been sustained despite the efforts of the administration to undercut ACA."
- Rep Paulsen: “The one-size-fits-all approach has not served us well.”
Thank you Pfizer for sponsoring this event.