1,000 in Tucson meet to give Giffords views on revamping system
The notion of making health care in the United States a rightrather than a privilege touched a nerve in Tucson on Tuesday night.
About 1,000 people filled the auditorium at Sahuaro High Schoolfor a town hall meeting focusing on national health-car overhaul -twice the number expected by organizers from the Tucson office ofU.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.
Many in the audience appeared to be in favor of universal accessto health care, cheering at suggestions of equity in insurancecoverage regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.
But the ideas that flowed remain just that. There were no clearanswers.
'I spent years being self-employed without health insurance. Nowmy youngest son, who is 42, doesn't have health insurance. He's aconcrete finisher, and he works very hard,' said retiree GeorgeWheeler, 71, who attended the first 90 minutes of the 2 1/2-hourevent.
'I think health care is a right that's being ignored,' he said.'But we all have to take responsibility as well - it's complicated.'
Giffords is seeking input from Southern Arizonans before shevotes on health-care legislation that's set to come before Congressin the next few months.
As part of the forum, she put together a panel of experts whooffered some possible solutions to the health-care problemsaffecting Americans. Those possibilities include tort reform toreduce costs of medical malpractice cases; streamlining electronicmedical records; and revamping the Medicare system by reducing thenumber of plans available.
While Congress touts the benefits of choice in Medicare, thecurrent selection of 58 plans in Pima County is overwhelming and awaste of money, said Jim Murphy, chief executive officer for thePima Council on Aging.
'I have a Ph.D., and I can't figure out Medicare,' said IanSteward, a 65-year-old retired University of Arizona professor whoattended the event because he thinks access to health care is one ofthe most important issues facing the United States.
Without change, Arizonans' health-insurance premiums willincrease from 7 percent to 15.5 percent of their income by 2016,Giffords said.
Not everyone agreed on how costs should be cut. Byron Schlomach,an economist with the conservative Goldwater Institute think tank,said patients, not bureaucracies, should be directly paying fortheir health care.
Tucson transplant physician Dr. Khalid Khan said he thinks morechanges in the health-care system should be happening locally.
Khan was hoping for a chance to talk with Giffords aboutimproving access to health care in Arizona. Khan, who moved toTucson from Minnesota, said local health-care disparities are acutecompared with those of other states.
'To me, health care has to be a right - I am from Europe. But itis not easy,' he said.
Ashton Banker, 23, who identified himself as a student, angrilyleft the meeting before it was over. 'I cannot stand the idea ofsocialized medicine,' he said.
But nothing has been decided, socialized or otherwise. J. LyleBootman, who is dean of the UA's College of Pharmacy, said it's aquestion of value - lowering health-care costs and improvingoutcomes.
Many at the meeting stressed that health-care overhaul should bebipartisan.
'Asking whether health care should be a right or a privilege, Ihad never thought of it that way, but it seems like a falsequestion,' Wendy Weiss, a retired psychotherapist, said as she leftthe meeting.
'I'll need to think about it a little more. But people withouthealth insurance cost all of us. It makes sense to me for people tohave health care.'
Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at 573-4134 orsinnes@azstarnet.com.
FIND MORE ONLINE
For more information about Tuesday night's forum and nationalhealth-care proposals:
* www.giffords.house.gov
* www.healthreform.gov
