Health care forum example of intelligent discourse

Health care forum example of intelligent discourse

If there’s a lesson to be learned from Monday night’s health care forum hosted by WFMJ-Channel 21 and The Vindicator, and aired live on WFMJ, it is that name-calling and other forms of boorish behavior aren’t necessary when discussing issues of great public importance.

Billed as “A Conversation on Health Care” with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, it turned out to be 90 minutes of exactly that, a conversation. Even differing viewpoints were offered respectfully and politely.

As a result, those in the audience — the event was held in the Jewish Community Center on Youngstown’s North Side — and television viewers had the luxury of judging for themselves the merits of the health care reform initiative being pursued in the Democratic controlled Congress. Democratic President Barack Obama has made health care reform the centerpiece of his still young presidency and has pledged that there will be a bill he will sign into law by year’s end.

A lot of work remains to be done between now and then, but this much is clear: The economic recovery strategy that Obama has laid out will not succeed if health care costs continue to skyrocket.

Congressman Ryan, who fielded questions from audience members, was quick to point out a truism that is being ignored by those Americans who have decided to oppose any and all efforts at reforming the current health care system: Obama has provided Congress with the parameters of a reform bill and there now are five versions bouncing around Capitol Hill, four in the House and one in the Senate.

In other words, the measure that will end up on the president’s desk has not yet been crafted. There ultimately will be one, but that will come only after a conference committee made up of a select number of senators and representatives meets to work out differences in the House and Senate versions.

Everything on the table

The bottom line thus far is that everything, including the highly controversial “public option” provision, is on the table.

Indeed, on the idea of a public option to private insurance, Ryan, who said he would prefer to see the provision in the final bill but that it isn’t a deal-breaker for him, took pains to erase the many misconceptions that now exist about it. The public option is not designed to, nor would it, put private health insurance companies out of the business

Likewise, the congressman assured the audience and the viewers that the health care reform bill will not provide funding for abortion — the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has accepted such an assurance from President Obama. He also said that individuals living illegally in the United States would not qualify for health care coverage.

Finally, he debunked the claim by Republicans that health care reform will give rise to “death panels” that would decide the level of medical treatment an elderly person would receive.

It was clear that Ryan has done his homework, has studied the bills in the House and truly believes that doing nothing is not an option.

He urged the people of the Mahoning Valley to go on the Internet to read the various measures and to listen to all sides of the debate.

If you are like many Americans and just don’t trust politicians, do yourself a favor and talk to people on the frontlines of the health care crisis. Ask the chief executive officers of the two hospital systems in the Valley about all the free care they provide because so many people don’t have health insurance.

Or, talk to small business owners and ask them about the competitive disadvantage they’re in because they do provide health insurance for their employees.

Finally, talk to the more than 1,000 families in our area who filed for bankruptcy in the past year or so because of their medical bills.

Don’t let the demagogues influence you.